Resent and resent are two words that are spelled identically but are pronounced differently and have different meanings, which makes them heteronyms. We will examine the definitions of the words resent and resent, where these words came from, and a few examples of their use in sentences.
Resent (reeZENT) is a verb that means to be bitter about something, to be aggrieved or indignant about something. For instance, a teenager may resent his parent’s rules. Related words are resents, resented, resenting. The word resent is derived from the French word, ressentir, which means to feel regret or to feel pain.
Resent (reeSENT) means to have sent something again. Related words are resend, resends, resending. The word resent is derived from the word sent, past tense of send, which is derived from the Old English word sendan, which means to propel or send forth; the prefix re- means once more or again.
Examples
In the U.S., some leaders resent the taking of 52 American hostages after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and attacks on U.S. forces in the region. (The Christian Science Monitor)
People without masks feel that preservation of personal liberties takes priority over public health and they resent those faithful to health etiquette, even when this includes Pope Francis. (The Pocono Record)
The representative figured out that the company had my email address wrong in the system, so she resent the email to sign up for the portal, where I found my negative test result. (The Day)
She resent the email to me later Wednesday evening, this time including a couple of other editors, but it came after our deadline for Thursday’s paper. (The Glens Falls Post-Star)
Check out some others we covered: