resent
Americanverb (used with object)
-
resents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resented,
past participle, past
-
resenting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
resentsimple
-
resentssimple
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have resentedperfect
-
has resentedperfect
-
am resentingprogressive
-
are resentingprogressive
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is resentingprogressive
-
have been resentingperfect progressive
-
has been resentingperfect progressive
Past
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resentedsimple
-
had resentedperfect
-
was resentingprogressive
-
were resentingprogressive
-
had been resentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resent
First recorded in 1595–1605; from French ressentir “to feel (an emotion),” from Old French res(s)entir, equivalent to re- re- + sentir “to feel,” from Latin sentīre; see sense
Explanation
To resent something is to feel anger or bitterness toward it. You might resent someone who has treated you poorly. To resent is a strong, negative feeling. You may resent the accusation that you were stealing cookies, or when a teacher yelled at you for whispering, even though everyone else was too. You might resent a friend who has more money or friends than you. Lots of people resent celebrities because they're famous and wealthy. If your friend borrowed a sweater and didn’t return it, you would probably resent it. Resenting is the opposite of being grateful.
Vocabulary lists containing resent
The Diary of Anne Frank
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List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I’ve started checking our accounts after he trades, and I resent being put in that role.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Year: 2014 Compiled by: Forrest Wickman and Ellie Skrzat Of note: The rapper Birdman is ranked near the bottom, a fact that I personally resent.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
I don’t resent my mother for getting older.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Both need each other to prosper and resent self-interested decisions their counterparts make that impact them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
I resent and understand it at the same time.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
‘I’d rather be on a beach in Bali’: My husband resents my $8 million net worth.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Safer just to enjoy Jay Baruchel’s funny and endearing portrait of a reckless risk-taker who hates being called a daredevil as much as he resents Ben Foster’s Evel Knievel attempting to give him some advice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Spending her Saturday not in uniform but in a T-shirt and jeans, she would like to enjoy a coffee outside -- and resents that her more religious compatriots think otherwise.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
"As she said in her own memoir, she resents that others defined her the first time around," Jellison told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
She also resents the fact that you have been preferred.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
He resented yard work, and his job kept him too busy for the endless repairs.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
The King is portrayed as resentful, with a "senior courtier" reporting an alleged comment by the late Queen: "He even resented it when I taught him the alphabet."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Real people became characters: Henry Kissinger seemed to enjoy it; Hunter S. Thompson resented it; Frank Sinatra threatened legal action; Donald Trump called Mr. Trudeau a “sleazeball” and a “third-rate talent.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
In a court brief, federal prosecutors allege the man who started the Palisades fire resented the rich and idolized Luigi Mangione.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Bigwig, who was generous and honest, had never for a moment resented Hazel’s courage on the night when his own superstitious fear had got the better of him.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Instead of resenting success, can’t we be grateful when achievement is fairly earned?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“When you don’t plan for joy, you end up either overspending impulsively or depriving yourself and resenting your money plan.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
She’s still reeling from her father’s death while also resenting having to parent Robbie’s kids after his wife abandoned them.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2025
He said he fell into a deep depression and began resenting his first-generation status, blaming his Mexican immigrant parents for not better educating him on how to be a competitive college applicant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
I was too busy resenting Barack for managing to fit workouts into his schedule, for example, to even begin figuring out how to exercise regularly myself.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
