grudged; grudging
: to be unwilling to give or admit : give or allow reluctantly or resentfully
didn't grudge the time
grudger
noun
: a feeling of deep-seated resentment or ill will
held no grudge against those who mistreated him
Synonyms
Examples of grudge in a Sentence
Verb
I don't grudge paying my share.
I don't grudge her the opportunities she has been given.
Noun
She still has a grudge against him for the way he treated her in school.
He has nursed a grudge against his former boss for years.
I don't bear him any grudges.
Recent Examples on the Web
Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Beijing and Moscow have, in particular, gone from grudging participants in Western attempts to pressure Pyongyang into curbing its illicit weapons programs to openly supporting the Kim regime.
—Jonathan Corrado, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2024
The Taliban authorities vacillated between grudging accommodation and weary rejection of our attention, but Ross had an uncanny ability to connect.
—Victor Blue, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2023
There is a clear sense of direction, almost a narrative sensibility, in the five tracks’ grudging progression from darkness to something approaching light.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2023
Surrounded by eager new lawmakers, his eyes are dim, his smile grudging.
—Molly Ball, Time, 20 July 2023
At the moment, Israel’s right-wing coalition government’s plan to disempower the Supreme Court there is on hold, a mark of grudging deference to what have been the largest peaceful protests in the country’s history.
—Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 13 June 2023
Their party was more likely to eschew deadly and costly violence in favor of grudging compromise and coexistence.
—Caitlin Fitz, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2020
Corbyn, meanwhile, began to win grudging praise from the guardians of established opinion for his willingness to coordinate the resistance.
—David Graeber, The New York Review of Books, 13 Jan. 2020
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2024
And a fatal shooting earlier this year during the Super Bowl victory celebration in Kansas City underscores the danger people in big crowds face, even during the happiest of times, when an idiot with a gun and a grudge starts popping off shots.
—Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2024
Brenner juxtaposes her work preserving what’s beautiful and precious for clients against her mother’s aging and decline, a period during which old grudges fade and their relationship softens.
—Longreads, 19 Apr. 2024
Knauss also mentioned holding grudges and suggested that the neighbor hadn't witnessed the extent of his actions yet.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2024
For the Raptors fans who are still on the fence about Carter — just know that life is too short to be holding grudges.
—Esfandiar Baraheni, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
But some grudges don’t last forever in Hollywood, as Lorre and Sheen have reportedly reconciled and united on the Max series, Bookie.
—EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
The Warriors are a veteran team trying to hold onto the last vestiges of dominance—and perhaps pining for grudges that expired a half-decade ago.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Yet that use of language and imagery is something Trump has intensified in his increasingly personal grudge rematch against Biden this year.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Verb
Putin’s apparatus has pivoted in recent days to grudging acknowledgment that the likely culprits had an agenda unrelated to Ukraine: revenge for years of carnage carried out by Russian security forces in Syria, Chechnya and other Muslim states.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Beijing and Moscow have, in particular, gone from grudging participants in Western attempts to pressure Pyongyang into curbing its illicit weapons programs to openly supporting the Kim regime.
—Jonathan Corrado, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2024
The Taliban authorities vacillated between grudging accommodation and weary rejection of our attention, but Ross had an uncanny ability to connect.
—Victor Blue, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2023
There is a clear sense of direction, almost a narrative sensibility, in the five tracks’ grudging progression from darkness to something approaching light.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2023
Surrounded by eager new lawmakers, his eyes are dim, his smile grudging.
—Molly Ball, Time, 20 July 2023
At the moment, Israel’s right-wing coalition government’s plan to disempower the Supreme Court there is on hold, a mark of grudging deference to what have been the largest peaceful protests in the country’s history.
—Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 13 June 2023
Their party was more likely to eschew deadly and costly violence in favor of grudging compromise and coexistence.
—Caitlin Fitz, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2020
Corbyn, meanwhile, began to win grudging praise from the guardians of established opinion for his willingness to coordinate the resistance.
—David Graeber, The New York Review of Books, 13 Jan. 2020
Noun
The immediate reviews have not been kind, pointing out the clunkiness of certain lyrics and accusing Swift of solipsism bordering on self-obsession or of digging up old grudges better left buried.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2024
And a fatal shooting earlier this year during the Super Bowl victory celebration in Kansas City underscores the danger people in big crowds face, even during the happiest of times, when an idiot with a gun and a grudge starts popping off shots.
—Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2024
Brenner juxtaposes her work preserving what’s beautiful and precious for clients against her mother’s aging and decline, a period during which old grudges fade and their relationship softens.
—Longreads, 19 Apr. 2024
Knauss also mentioned holding grudges and suggested that the neighbor hadn't witnessed the extent of his actions yet.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2024
For the Raptors fans who are still on the fence about Carter — just know that life is too short to be holding grudges.
—Esfandiar Baraheni, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
But some grudges don’t last forever in Hollywood, as Lorre and Sheen have reportedly reconciled and united on the Max series, Bookie.
—EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
The Warriors are a veteran team trying to hold onto the last vestiges of dominance—and perhaps pining for grudges that expired a half-decade ago.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Yet that use of language and imagery is something Trump has intensified in his increasingly personal grudge rematch against Biden this year.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grudge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grudge
Cite this Entry
“Grudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grudge. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
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