ressentiment

noun

res·​sen·​ti·​ment rə-ˌsäⁿ-tē-ˈmäⁿ How to pronounce ressentiment (audio)
: deep-seated resentment, frustration, and hostility accompanied by a sense of being powerless to express these feelings directly

Examples of ressentiment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Russian nationalism espoused by President Vladimir Putin, for instance, is the product of ressentiment, the experience of a perpetual gap between the country’s self-image and its actual power. — Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 The smaller art world resents the larger, commercial art world, but in a particular way, without what is sometimes called ressentiment, based on envy and faltering self-esteem. — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023 Television and music, monuments and memorials have all been prime levers of a political project, a campaign of cultural ressentiment and national rebirth, that culminated this May on the blue-green carpets beneath Hagia Sophia’s dome. — Jason Farago, New York Times, 25 May 2023 But in between justice and ressentiment is a rich, gray area where schadenfreude can serve a valuable political purpose. — Lee M. Pierce, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2020

Word History

Etymology

French, resentment, from ressentir to resent, from Middle French resentir — more at resent entry 1

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ressentiment was in 1896

Rhymes for ressentiment

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Browse Nearby Words

ressaulted
ressentiment
res serviens
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Cite this Entry

“Ressentiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ressentiment. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Medical Definition

ressentiment

noun
res·​sen·​ti·​ment rə-säⁿ-tē-ˈmäⁿ How to pronounce ressentiment (audio)
: deep-seated resentment, frustration, and hostility accompanied by a sense of being powerless to express these feelings directly
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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