heart-burning

A colleague's promotion caused him heart-burning.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Resentment or envy: "heart-burning" refers to a feeling of bitter jealousy, grudging resentment, or deep-seated ill will toward someone, often due to a perceived slight or unfair advantage.
   • Vindictive hostility: The term can also denote a state of persistent animosity or rancor, where past grievances continue to cause emotional distress.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The promotion caused much heart-burning among the older employees who felt overlooked. (The promotion created resentment and jealousy in those who were passed over.)
  • Her success in the competition led to heart-burning in her rival, who could not accept defeat. (The rival felt bitter jealousy and hostility.)
  • The family feud was fueled by years of heart-burning over an inheritance dispute. (Deep-seated resentment and ill will persisted over time.)

Advanced Usage

• "to cause heart-burning": to provoke feelings of envy or resentment.

  • The unfair distribution of resources caused heart-burning among the team members. (It created bitterness and jealousy.)

• "heart-burning rivalry": a competitive relationship marked by intense resentment.

  • The two companies had a heart-burning rivalry that lasted for decades. (Their competition was fueled by deep-seated ill will.)

Variants and Related Words

• Heartburn (n): a physical burning sensation in the chest caused by acid reflux; distinct from "heart-burning."
  • She had heartburn after eating spicy food. (A physical condition, not emotional.)
• Heart-burning (adj): describing something that causes or is marked by resentment or envy (rare usage).
  • The heart-burning remarks only worsened the conflict. (The remarks were full of bitterness.)

Synonyms

• Resentment: a feeling of indignant displeasure at a perceived insult or unfairness.
• Envy: a feeling of discontented longing for someone else's advantages.
• Rancor: deep, long-lasting bitterness or ill will.
• Jealousy: fear of losing something or resentment toward another's success.
• Grudge: a persistent feeling of ill will or resentment.

Related Idioms

• "To bear a grudge": to hold onto resentment against someone.

  • He still bears a grudge over what she said years ago. (He continues to feel heart-burning.)

• "To eat one's heart out": to suffer from envy or longing.

  • Watch him succeed, and eat your heart out! (Feel bitter jealousy, like heart-burning.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Burn up (with envy): to feel intense jealousy or resentment.
  • She burned up with heart-burning when her colleague got the award. (She felt bitter resentment.)