What's the difference between envy and resent? [closed]

What's the difference between envy and resent?

envy

painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage

Envy is the feeling you have when you wish you could have the same thing or quality that someone else has.

If you envy someone, you wish that you had the same things or qualities that they have.

resent

If you resent someone or something, you feel bitter and angry about them. [source]

to feel bitter or angry about something, especially because you feel it is unfair [source]

However the word resent is used as a comparative emotion as this article says. It is often used interchangeably with the word envy, so maybe there is a modern meaning in our current lexicon that the dictionary fails to explain, where they can both used in the same place.

Solution 1:

As your definitions highlight, envy typically involves resentment. However, it specifically includes some degree of jealousy - it's resentment towards someone because they have something of perceived value.

Resentment is more general term and can be motivated by pretty much any reason. For example, getting into an accident with a drunk driver might make you feel resentful but I can't imagine you would feel envious.

You could probably argue that all envious people are resentful (overlooking the motivation) but you can't say that every resentful person is envious.