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Tuesday

Zealous or jealous - Mixed messages and misused words from A to Z



Zealous or jealous - Mixed messages and misused words from A to Z

Zeal for correctness dictates that we finish this A to Z series with this pair of all-to-often mixed-up words.

What’s the difference between zealous and jealous?

Zealous describes someone who is extremely enthusiastic, devoted, impassioned, or dedicated to something or someone. Jealous characterizes one who may be overly possessive, envious, coveting, or fearful of losing another’s affection.

Here’s an example of appropriate usage of zealous and jealous in a sentence.

Buster, a zealous Chicago Cubs fan, grew a bit jealous when his girlfriend began trumpeting the praises of the good-looking rookie outfielder.
 
Image/s:
Misused word pair
Created by this user
At CoolText
 Abused and misused word graphics
adapted from public domain artwork


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7 comments:

  1. Both of these words are so great aren't they? Fun to say and fun to use in a written doc! Thanks for the clarification!

    Lynn Ruby

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just found you from the A to Z Challenge - better late than never. Plus, now I have the entire month of helpful posts to catch up on.

    Congrats on making it through to Z!

    Barbara
    Z is for Zzz-z-z... and an SOS
    The Daille-y News

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fun approach to the challenge! I don't use the word zealous often enough. I must change that! Happy A-to-Z 2013! ~Angela, Whole Foods Living, http://www.wholefoodsliving.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats on finishing! An what a great theme for the challenge. I can't recall seeing these two mixed up before, but looking at your previous posts you've definitely covered many of the ones that drive me crazy when I see them. A great public service you've provided. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. The word zealous became a favorite word of mine after I used it once during a scrabble game. I can't remember how old I was, but I was very proud of coming up with a Z word that wasn't zoo!

    Congrats on finishing the challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great theme you had going! I can think of lots of misused words that drive me bananas, but I've never seen zealous and jealous confused before. Oh, my!

    And thanks for stopping by today! Congrats to you as well for finishing the whole thing!

    madhaus
    Burbed: SF Bay/Silicon Valley Real Estate, Housing, Mortgage & Bubble Price Insanity

    ReplyDelete
  7. Zealous often describes me when I start something new. Congrats on completing the challenge.

    ReplyDelete

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