re ‧ sent ‧ ment /rɪˈzentmənt/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
a feeling of anger because something has happened that you think is unfair SYN bitterness
resentment at/against/of etc
She was filled with deep resentment at being passed over for promotion.
feel/harbour/bear resentment
He felt considerable resentment towards Sheila for making him work late.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ feel resentment
He felt resentment at the criticism.
▪ bear resentment (=feel it)
My father's favourite was my younger sister, and I'd always borne him some resentment for this.
▪ harbour resentment (=continue to feel it)
You obviously harbour some resentment against your ex-boyfriend.
▪ cause/create resentment
The special arrangements for overseas students caused resentment among the other students.
▪ breed resentment (=cause it)
These misunderstandings had bred resentment.
▪ arouse resentment (=make people feel it)
The terms of his contract aroused deep resentment among the other players.
■ adjectives
▪ deep resentment
The soldiers' presence has created deep resentment.
▪ bitter resentment (=very strong)
Heavy-handed policing caused bitter resentment.
▪ great/considerable resentment
There was great resentment among the workforce.
▪ widespread resentment (=felt by a lot of people or in many places)
The actions of the police during the miners' strike caused widespread resentment.
▪ growing/increasing resentment
Soon growing resentment against foreigners erupted into violence.
▪ smouldering resentment (=resentment that is felt for a long time but not expressed)
The unrest highlighted the smouldering resentment in France's poor neighbourhoods.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ anger a strong emotion that you feel because someone has behaved badly or because a situation seems bad or unfair:
Andrea still feels a lot of anger towards her mom, who left when she was a little girl.
|
I’ve said some things in anger that have almost cost me my marriage.
▪ annoyance slight anger or impatience:
He expressed annoyance at the way his comments had been misinterpreted.
|
The meetings were held in secret, much to the annoyance of some members of Congress.
▪ irritation a feeling of being annoyed and impatient, especially because something keeps happening or someone keeps saying something:
He could not hide his irritation at her persistent questioning.
|
Unwanted sales calls are a source of irritation for many people.
▪ frustration a feeling of being annoyed, especially because you cannot do what you want or because you cannot change or control a situation:
You can imagine my frustration when I found out that the next bus didn’t leave till 4 hours later.
|
There is a growing sense of frustration over the situation in Burma.
|
The government has expressed frustration at the slow legal process.
▪ exasperation a feeling of being very annoyed because you cannot control a situation, learn to do something, or understand something, even though you are trying very hard:
Isaac sighed in exasperation.
|
Exasperation at the team’s lack of success was evident among the fans.
▪ resentment anger because you think you are being treated badly or unfairly:
The sudden increase in the numbers of immigrants has caused resentment among local people.
▪ indignation anger and surprise about an unfair situation:
His voice sounded full of indignation.
|
The scandal caused righteous indignation among opposition politicians.
▪ ill/bad feeling anger between two people because of something that has happened:
I had no ill feeling towards him.
▪ rancour British English , rancor American English formal a feeling of anger and hatred towards someone who you cannot forgive because they harmed you in the past:
Even though he had lost the court case, he had shown no rancour.
▪ spleen formal anger, especially anger that is unreasonable:
He vented his spleen (=said why he was angry) against the airline in an article in the Times.