resentment

English

Etymology

From Italian risentimento, or French ressentiment from an archaic usage of the verb ressentir via Old French sentir, from Latin sentiō, sentīre (“to feel”). Doublet of resentiment and ressentiment.

Pronunciation

• enPR: rĭ-zĕntʹmənt, IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈzɛnt.mənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: re‧sent‧ment

Noun

resentment (countable and uncountable, plural resentments)

1. Anger or displeasure stemming from belief that one has been wronged or betrayed by others; indignation.
   • 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], “3”, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:

     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.

   • 1951 November, “Delays to Boat Trains”, in Railway Magazine, page 719:

     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.

   • 2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in AV Club‎^[1]:

     “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.

2. (obsolete) The state of holding something in the mind as a subject of contemplation, or of being inclined to reflect upon it; feeling; impression.
   • 1668, Franciscus Euistor the Palæopolite [pseudonym; Henry More], “(please specify the page)”, in Divine Dialogues, Containing Sundry Disquisitions & Instructions Concerning the Attributes of God and His Providence in the World. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Joseph Downing […], published 1713, →OCLC:

     He retains so vivid resentments of the more solid morality.

   • 1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655, →OCLC:

     It is a greater wonder that so many of them die, with so little resentment of their danger.

3. (obsolete) satisfaction; gratitude
   • 1651, The Council Book:

     The Council taking notice of the many good services performed by Mr. John Milton […] have thought fit to declare their resentment and good acceptance of the same.

Translations

anger or displeasure felt out of belief that others have engaged in wrongdoing or mistreatment; indignation.

• Arabic: مرارة
• Bulgarian: възмущение (bg) n (vǎzmuštenie)
• Catalan: ressentiment (ca) m, rancor (ca) f, tírria f, indignació (ca) f
• Chamicuro: suchi
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 憤慨／愤慨 (zh) (fènkǎi), 不滿／不满 (zh) (bùmǎn)

• Czech: vztek (cs) m, zlost f, dopal m
• Dutch: misnoegen (nl) n, wrok (nl) f
• Estonian: pahameel, meelepaha
• Finnish: närkästys (fi), mielipaha (fi)
• French: ressentiment (fr) m, agacement (fr) m, rancune (fr) f
• German: Ressentiment (de) n, Abneigung (de) f, Missgunst (de) f, Ärger (de) m, Groll (de) m, Feindseligkeit (de) f, Unmut (de) m, Verbitterung (de) f, Verstimmung (de) f, Verachtung (de) f
• Greek: δυσαρέσκεια (el) f (dysaréskeia), αγανάκτηση (el) f (aganáktisi), κακοφανισμός (el) m (kakofanismós)
• Hindi: रोष (roṣ), नाराज़गी (nārāzgī), आक्रोश (hi) (ākroś), अप्रसन्नता (hi) (aprasannatā), अमर्ष (hi) (amarṣ), रंजिश (hi) (rañjiś), मनोमालिन्य (hi) (manomālinya), कुढ़न (hi) (kuṛhan), मनमुटाव (hi) (manmuṭāv)
• Hungarian: neheztelés (hu)
• Icelandic: gremja (is) f, gremjublandin vanþóknun, biturð (is) f
• Ido: rankoro (io), indigno (io)
• Japanese: 恨み (うらみ, urami), 憤慨 (ja) (ふんがい, fungai), 憤り (いきどおり, ikidōri), 憤懣 (ふんまん, funman)
• Korean: 원망 (ko) (wonmang)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ناڕەزایی (narrezayî)

• Macedonian: негоду́вање n (negodúvanje), ого́рченост f (ogórčenost)
• Maori: hūngeingei, hīkaka, hūneinei
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: эгдүүцэл (mn) (egdüücel), зэвүүцэл (mn) (zevüücel), дургүйцэл (mn) (durgüjcel)

  Mongolian: ᠡᠭᠳᠡᠭᠦᠴᠡᠯ (eɣdegüčel), ᠵᠢᠪᠡᠭᠦᠴᠡᠯ (ǰibegüčel), ᠳᠤᠷᠠᠭᠦᠶᠢᠴᠡᠯ (duragüyičel)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: misnøye

• Polish: resentyment (pl) m, ansa (pl) f
• Portuguese: ressentimento (pt) m
• Romanian: resentiment (ro) n
• Russian: негодова́ние (ru) n (negodovánije), возмуще́ние (ru) n (vozmuščénije)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ресантиман, ресентиман, индигнација, негодовање

  Roman: resantiman (sh), resentiman, indignacija (sh), negodovanje (sh)

• Spanish: resentimiento (es) m, animadversión (es) f, animosidad (es) f, rencor (es) m, tirria (es) f, indignación (es) f
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: giận (vi)

See also

• dudgeon
• hold a grudge
• umbrage
• regret

Further reading

• “resentment”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “resentment, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “resentment”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney and Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1914), “resentiment; resentment”, in The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language, revised edition, volume IV, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC, page 5100, column 2.