WordValeresentful
bitter about being treated unfairly
In more detail
feeling angry and bitter because you believe you have been treated unfairly or disrespected
Examples
- She felt resentful when her colleague received the promotion she had worked hard for.
How to use resentful
Resentful describes a sustained emotional state of anger mixed with a sense of injustice, often involving bitterness. It is commonly used to express prolonged negative feelings rather than momentary anger. Resentful differs from merely annoyed or irritated in that it carries a stronger sense of grievance and lingering bitterness.
Common phrases
- feel resentful
- grow resentful
- deeply resentful
- resentful of
- resentful about
Synonyms
bitter · aggrieved · indignant · disgruntled · embittered
Opposites
grateful · content · forgiving
Word family
resent (verb) · resentment (noun) · resentfully (adverb)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse resentful with resentable or use it to mean 'able to resent' rather than 'feeling resentment'; resentful is strictly an adjective describing the person who feels the negative emotion, not the thing that causes it.
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