Resentfulness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state characterized by lingering bitterness and dissatisfaction stemming from perceived injustices or unfair treatment towards others
2. An emotional condition marked by ongoing resentment and grievance that arises from feeling wronged or mistreated by someone
3. A mood marked by continuous bitterness and irritation caused by perceived slights or injustice

Etymology: Resentfulness is a plain formation: the adjective "resentful" with the suffix "-ness" attached, which turns a quality into a noun. The suffix has a long pedigree. It descends from a Germanic element that English has used since Old English, where "-nes" marked abstract nouns for states and conditions, and it has been extended from there to countless new formations. Its ancestry reaches back to Proto-Indo-European, but in practice it is simply the same ending that gives us "kindness" and "darkness." The adjective "resentful" is the more interesting half. It comes from "resent," which entered English from French "resentir," meaning to feel or perceive again. The original sense was closer to re-feeling a wrong than to nursing a grudge, and the notion of bitterness developed later in the word's history. "Resentfulness" therefore names the lasting condition of a person who keeps that feeling alive.

Synonyms: bitterness, grudge, animosity, ill will, hostility

Antonyms: forgiveness, understanding, acceptance