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
-
have resentedperfect
-
has resentedperfect
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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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ACT Vocabulary List
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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:
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
Second, if she outlives him, I assume his children might resent her, since that could tie up a sizable portion of their inheritance.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 2026
The second most American thing is to find reasons to resent those who rose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Or maybe you love what a little ginger does to soups or oatmeal but resent the peeling and grating it demands.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2026
I was never the one paying for the room, but still, I resent being made to feel guilty for requesting a service an expensive hotel is generally expected to perform.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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
Because there’s one thing worse than hunkering down during a snowstorm — and that’s doing so with someone who resents your spending.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 25, 2026
He cites Dambisa Moyo, the Zambian-born economist and aid critic, who resents the fact that aid policy has, as she puts it, “been left to musicians who reside outside Africa.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
“You’ve always been two people. The Jenna who wants to please and the Jenna who secretly resents it. They won’t break, you know. Your parents never thought you were perfect. You did.”
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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
By the end, the dressing room had fractured into three camps: a small group of loyalists, a larger group who actively resented him, and a numb majority who had simply stopped caring.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Many community members also resented attempts by these organizations to work with local politicians who were criticized for their handling of the disaster.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
He’s long resented her inability to contain the frenzy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2026
“Bros, how did they get you?” he asked Obinze, with an instant familiarity that Obinze resented.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
Peter, angrily competitive, can’t help resenting the natural ease of Diana’s talent, even as it’s her song from their first album that has put the band back in the spotlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
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
Apparently without resenting Ginnie’s tone, Selena’s brother turned back to his finger.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions 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.
