ill-feeling

A neighbor's loud music caused some ill-feeling in the apartment building.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Acrimony or resentment: "ill-feeling" refers to a state of hostility, bitterness, or resentment between people, often arising from a disagreement, offense, or perceived wrong.

Usage Examples

• (A state of resentment persisted after the dispute.)
• (No hostility remained despite the competition.)
• (Bitterness developed due to his remarks.)

Advanced Usage

• "to harbor ill-feeling": to maintain or hold onto resentment over time.

  • She still harbors ill-feeling toward her former business partner. (She continues to feel bitterness.)

• "to dispel ill-feeling": to eliminate or reduce hostility.

  • The apology helped to dispel the ill-feeling in the meeting. (The apology reduced resentment.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ill-feelings (plural noun): multiple instances or sources of resentment.

  • The ill-feelings from the past are slowly fading. (The various resentments are diminishing.)

• Ill-natured (adjective): having a disagreeable or hostile disposition.

  • His ill-natured comments only worsened the ill-feeling. (His unpleasant remarks increased bitterness.)

Synonyms

• Resentment: a feeling of indignant displeasure at a perceived wrong.
• Animosity: strong hostility or active dislike.
• Antipathy: a deep-seated feeling of aversion or dislike.

Related Idioms

• Bad blood: longstanding hostility or ill-feeling between people.

  • There has been bad blood between the two families for years. (Long-standing ill-feeling exists.)

• Hard feelings: resentment or anger, often after a disagreement.

  • No hard feelings, I hope? (I hope there is no ill-feeling.)