Meaning & use
ressentiment
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A deep, festering sense of resentment and hostility, often arising from a feeling of powerlessness.
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The philosopher argued that ressentiment can quietly shape a person's entire moral outlook.
Critics detected a note of ressentiment in the way the speech attacked more successful rivals.
A note on using this word
Borrowed from French and closely associated with Nietzsche's philosophy; used in English mainly in academic or psychological writing.
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