‘The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side’: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

By Sophia Merton, updated on January 27, 2023

Did someone tell you that ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’? What does this mean, and where does the phrase come from?

‘The grass is always greener on the other side’ is a proverb that refers to the fact that other people’s circumstances often seem better than your own, but in reality, this often isn’t the case.

What Does 'The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side' Mean?

‘The grass is always greener on the other side’ is a proverb that means that it often looks like other people’s circumstances are more desirable than your own, but they often aren’t as good as they seem in reality.

There are a number of alternative forms of this idiom, including:

  • The grass is always greener
  • The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
  • The grass is always greener on the other side of the road

The general idea is that people will commonly think that they could be happier if their circumstances were different. The implication of the phrase is that those other circumstances simply seem better from the outside but aren’t really any better.

Where Does 'The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side' Come From?

The general concept behind the proverb ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’ can be traced back to the poetry of Ovid, a Roman poet that lived between 43 BC and 17/18 AD.

In one of his works called “Art of Love,” the phrase "Fertilior seges est alenis semper in agris" can be found, which translates to:

"The harvest is always more fruitful in another man's fields."

Another version of the same notion was cited by Erasmus of Rotterdam and translated into English in 1545 by Richard Taverner:

“The corne in an other mans ground semeth euer more fertyll and plentifull then doth oure own.”

(The corn in another man’s ground seems ever more fertile and plentiful than our own does.)

In terms of the precise wording of this phrase, it is thought that it was popular as early as the beginning of the 20th century. In 1924, there was a song recorded by Raymond B. Egan and Richard A. Whiting titled “The Grass Is Always Greener in the Other Fellows Yard.”

The proverb also appeared in the US newspaper The Kansas Farmer in 1917:

“Some people are never satisfied anywhere. The grass always looks a little greener on the other side of the fence.”

That being said, ‘green grass’ has been used as a metaphor for new experiences for some time before the appearance of the proverb in The Kansas Farmer, with an excerpt from a June 1853 The New York Times article stating:

“It bewitched your correspondent with a desire to see greener grass and set foot on fresher fields.”

There is some speculation that the proverb comes from people observing cattle grazing through the fence and eating grass from the adjacent field or their habit of escaping through broken fence lines to another pasture in search of grass to eat.

When we use the Google Books Ngram Viewer to get a better sense of the usage of this proverb over time, we see that ‘the grass is always greener’ first appears in texts around 1916 and becomes more commonly used over the course of the 20th century until the present day.

There are actually very similar proverbs in other languages, such as Italian, French, and Japanese.

Though the specific origin of ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’ isn’t known, the notion makes sense when you think about human history and culture. It seems only natural that people would see their neighbor’s plots of land and possessions and covet them. This proverb is a representation of the fact that the expectation that other people’s circumstances are better than our own is often false.

Examples of 'The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side' In Sentences

How would you use ‘the grass is always greener on’ in a sentence? Let’s look at some examples:

  • “I’ve spent my entire life dreaming of moving to a tropical climate. Now that I finally got here, I find myself missing the snow and the cold. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.
  • “I know you’re disappointed that the new job you had your heart set on didn’t pan out, but you honestly dodged a bullet. There’s a good chance you would’ve found that the grass is always greener on the other side.”
  • “Samantha is obviously starting to get antsy at the office. She’s so ready for her new job to begin, but I’m afraid she’ll learn that the grass is always greener on the other side.”
  • “My neighbors always seemed to have a perfect life. I envied them. One day, it came out that they were getting divorced, and their kid had a drug problem. You know what they say– the grass is always greener on the other side.”
  • “It’s an honor to be accepted to such a prestigious school, but I’m not sure I want to go through the trouble of transferring. I’m worried I’ll basically be starting from scratch just to find out that the grass is always greener on the other side.”
  • “Thomas left his wife for a woman he met online, only to regret it deeply. It seems people really struggle to understand that the grass is always greener on the other side.”
  • “I can’t believe you’re moving to the city. I know you’ve been talking about it for years, but I honestly think the grass is always greener on the other side.
  • “She apologized to me for quitting in such a rude manner and asked for her job back. I suppose she was so excited about switching careers that she didn’t think about the potential downsides. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.”

Looking for more English proverbs, expressions, and phrases to learn? Head over to our idioms blog for a ton more definitions, origins, and examples of fun and interesting phrases!

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Written By:
Sophia Merton
Sophia Merton is one of the lead freelance writers for WritingTips.org. Sophia received her BA from Vassar College. She is passionate about reading, writing, and the written word. Her goal is to help everyone, whether native English speaker or not, learn how to write and speak with perfect English.

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