Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
jealous, zealous (adj.)
Once synonymous, these are now distinct in all but one sense. Jealous means “resentful of a rival,” as in He is jealous of her other suitors; “envious as a result of this emotion,” as in He is subject to jealous fits; and “intolerant of competition,” as in Ours is a jealous God. Zealous means “full of zeal for, vigorously devoted,” as in They are zealous to uphold [in upholding] the law. Only in the sense “watchful in guarding” does jealous overlap with zealous today, as in I’m jealous of [zealous about] my reputation; I don’t want it damaged.
Jealous combines usually with of (She’s jealous of her sister), sometimes with for (His mother is jealous for her son), occasionally with over (He’s jealous over her slightest sign of inattention), and sometimes with to plus an infinitive, as in They’re jealous to preserve their political power. Zealous combines with for (We’re zealous for their success), with about (He’s zealous about doing his duty), and with to plus an infinitive (You must be zealous to protect your good name.) All these are Standard.
