as in careful
said, done, or given in an unwilling or doubtful way
Her theories have begun to win grudging acceptance in the scientific community. He has earned the grudging admiration/respect of his rivals.
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Recent Examples of grudging
Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Bondi, in a memorandum also signed by Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, blended grudging compliance with open disrespect.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
After decades of federal intervention and grudging reforms, the prison has largely shed that reputation.
—Anat Rubin, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2023
Carefully, that’s how, with grudging respect for the curveballs the asteroid can throw you.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Oct. 2020
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Adjective
Set a timeline for seeing real change — not just one grudging appearance, but consistent participation in your social life over the next few months.
—Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Bondi, in a memorandum also signed by Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, blended grudging compliance with open disrespect.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
After decades of federal intervention and grudging reforms, the prison has largely shed that reputation.
—Anat Rubin, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2023
Carefully, that’s how, with grudging respect for the curveballs the asteroid can throw you.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Oct. 2020
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudging
Adjective
-
Be careful when riding back downtown on a bike, as the hill notoriously increases cycling speed.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2026
-
The Main Match Concealer is available in 22 shades, with careful consideration for South Asian undertones (which are often breezed by).—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
China and Russia are often described as caring deeply about sovereignty and disliking regime change for that reason.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Known for disliking public attention, Souter even forewent a Washington funeral.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And Villanelle has very begrudging respect for this woman.—
Dan Snierson,
EW.com,
13 Apr. 2020
-
Philadelphia needs its rookie quarterback, Carson Wentz, to post 300 passing yards for a third consecutive week, because there is no running the ball against the Ravens, who have the most begrudging ground defense in the league.—
DAVID WHITE,
New York Times,
16 Dec. 2016
Verb
-
It was posed to be especially tough in front of Bening, who would be throwing out disapproving grandmother vibes in the TV standoff.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
This tendency by people to be upset and disapproving of AI seems to be across the board.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The problem is that powering up the engines, idling them, and then using their massive power just to trundle around the tarmac is scarcely economical.—
David Szondy
June 07,
New Atlas,
7 June 2026
-
Over time, broader adoption across the automotive industry is expected to drive down battery costs, making flying cars more economical to operate and opening the door to wider commercial use.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
And of course there will always be readers who balk at SF, refusing to countenance that our lived reality is saturated with it, and that the time for earnestly realistic state-of-the-nation novels may have passed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
But Campbell has a point; legally, those trying to ban the Red Raiders from the playoff, or refusing, en masse, to schedule them, could be subject to accusations of collusion.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Starring Elordi and Barry Keoghan, Fennell’s dark comedy about class resentment and covetous destruction was sold on the promise of erotic excess.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
-
For most players, that amount of storage is realistically enough for all but the most covetous data hoarders.—
Matt Kamen,
Wired News,
3 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Regardless of the level of material damage, Shiites are deploring the physical and spiritual assaults against their sacred landscape.—
Mary Thurlkill,
The Conversation,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudging. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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