Enviable
adj.capable, joyfulprofessional
What it means
So desirable or excellent that others are likely to admire it.
Reach for it when praising an advantage or achievement without encouraging resentment
The cooperative built an enviable record for retaining apprentices.
Choose between these
6- playful
the one to beat
when informal competitive praise suits the field
not when The phrase turns admiration into rivalry and is wrong for collaborative settings.
- everyday
when good circumstances rather than earned excellence matter
not when Fortunate credits luck and may understate sustained work.
- everyday
when achievement deserves broad approval
not when Impressive can concern scale without being personally desirable.
- warm
when respect rather than desire is the response
not when Admirable praises merit without saying others want the same advantage.
- professional
when something is worth wanting for practical reasons
not when Something desirable may be ordinary rather than exceptionally achieved.
- formal
coveted
when many people actively seek the position or prize
not when Coveted emphasizes competition and can make praise sound possessive.
Said against
3- undesirable
- unenviable
- regrettable
It naturally appears in
3- enviable reputation
The workshop earned an enviable reputation for careful repairs.
- enviable position
Stable funding placed the archive in an enviable position.
- enviable record
The clinic has an enviable record of retaining rural staff.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective, adjective sense desirable enough to arouse envy opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.