resentful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of resentful
Explanation
If you are resentful of someone, you feel ill will toward him, mixed with envy, like when a newer coworker gets the promotion you've been working toward for years. The verb resent comes from the word for "feeling," but we only use it to talk about bad, stinging feelings. You might resent having to work late, but if your boss pays you a higher wage for overtime, maybe you’ll be less resentful. When there are clear inequalities among people, it often makes them resentful. Someone who wears themselves out doing heavy labor might be resentful of their boss who never breaks a sweat but earns more money.
Vocabulary lists containing resentful
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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The Breadwinner
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, 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.
In this picture I am despondent, resentful, rageful.
From Slate • Jul. 6, 2026
"I am so deeply resentful and very angry. But I don't even know who to be angry at anymore. I just have to console myself by accepting it as fate."
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
Reyna’s parents, the former U.S. men’s captain Claudio Reyna and women’s national team player Danielle Egan, had been particularly resentful of comments Berhalter made about their son’s attitude at the tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
We do laugh together, and there is a lot of love between us, but I am so resentful now.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
She was glowering at Carlisle with a resentful expression.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
