Aristotle (in Rhetoric) defined envy (phthonos) "as the pain caused by the good fortune of others", while Kant defined it as "a reluctance to see our own well-being overshadowed by another's because the standard we use to see how well off we are is not the intrinsic worth of our own well-being but how it compares with that of others" (in Metaphysics of Morals).

Schadenfreude is malicious pleasure taken from observing the misery of another. ... Philosopher and sociologist Theodor Adorno defined schadenfreude as "largely unanticipated delight in the suffering of another which is cognized as trivial and/or appropriate." 

Bertrand Russell said envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness. It is a universal and most unfortunate aspect of human nature because not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by his envy, but also wishes to inflict misfortune on others. Although envy is generally seen as something negative, also believed that envy was a driving force behind the movement towards democracy and must be endured in order to achieve a more just social system.

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