resentment

Definition

Anger or displeasure stemming from belief that one or one's group has been wronged or betrayed by others; indignation.

Etymology

From resent + -ment, after Middle French and French ressentiment (in Old French as recentement), from an archaic usage of the verb ressentir via Old French sentir, from Latin sentiō, sentīre (“to feel”). Compare Italian risentimento, Portuguese ressentimento, and Spanish resentimiento. Doublet of resentiment and ressentiment, the former attested slightly earlier.

Example Sentences

• "Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs. Bennet, whose dislike of his general behaviour, was sharpened into particular resentment, by his having slighted one of her daughters."
• "Younger [Customs] examiners, who, perhaps, have not yet acquired the intuition resulting from years of experience, seem partly responsible for the closer examination of incoming luggage. Not only is this closer scrutiny arousing feelings of resentment among passengers, but it is causing serious delays in the departure of boat trains, many of which have been reaching their destinations two or three hours late."
• "“I Love Lisa” opens with one of my favorite underappreciated running jokes from The Simpsons: the passive-aggressive, quietly contentious relationship of radio jocks Bill and Marty, whose mindless happy talk regularly gives way to charged exchanges that betray the simmering resentment and disappointment perpetually lingering just under the surface of their relationship."

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