envy / ill will
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envy / ill will
The feeling of envy and dissatisfaction that another person has success, happiness, or possessions that one begrudges them.
Aus reiner Missgunst sprach sie schlecht über den Erfolg ihrer Kollegin.
Out of pure envy, she spoke badly about her colleague's success.
The word consists of the prefix 'miss-' and the noun 'die Gunst' (favor, goodwill). 'Missgunst' is therefore literally the opposite of goodwill—the feeling of begrudging someone their success or happiness.
Er spürte die Missgunst seiner Kollegen, nachdem er befördert wurde.
He sensed the envy of his colleagues after he was promoted.
'Missgunst' (envy / ill will) is often combined with verbs that describe a feeling. Typical phrases are 'Missgunst empfinden' (to feel envy), 'Missgunst hegen' (to harbor envy), 'Missgunst spüren' (to sense envy), or 'Missgunst zeigen' (to show envy).
Sie konnte ihre Missgunst gegenüber der Gewinnerin kaum verbergen.
She could barely hide her envy toward the winner.
To describe the motivation for an action, the preposition 'aus' (out of) is often used. The phrase 'aus (reiner) Missgunst' (out of pure envy) explains why someone acts negatively.
Er hat die Gerüchte nur aus reiner Missgunst verbreitet.
He spread the rumors only out of pure envy.
favor
'die Gunst' and 'die Missgunst' look similar, but they mean almost the opposite. 'Gunst' is a positive attitude: someone is well-disposed toward a person or supports them. 'Missgunst' is negative: you begrudge another person their success, happiness, or possessions. The words can be confused because they look very close linguistically. Pay special attention to 'Miss-': it makes the meaning negative and often has to do with envy.
Nach ihrer Beförderung spürte sie die Missgunst einiger Kollegen.
After her promotion, she sensed the envy of some colleagues.
Mit seiner guten Präsentation hat er heute die Gunst der Chefin gewonnen.
With his good presentation today, he won the boss's favor.