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The English language has been carrying a grudge for a long time—since the 13th century to be exact, when it took the Anglo-French verb grucher/grucer and made it grucchen/grudgen. Both words meant “to grumble and complain” (and if their shared definition, combined with their spelling and pronunciation, reminds you of a certain furry green Muppet who lives in a trash can, you’re onto something: grouch is thought to be a grucchen descendant). Over time grucchen/grudgen became grudge, which picked up the additional, closely related meanings of “to be unwilling to give or allow” and “to allow with reluctance or resentment,” as when Virginia Woolf wrote “if you come to grudge even the sun for shining … fruit does not ripen.” Grudging, which developed from grudge, made its English debut in the 1530s, and has been used ever since to describe someone who is unwilling or reluctant (“a grudging supporter”) or something done or given reluctantly or sparingly (“grudging respect”).
Examples of grudging in a Sentence
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
The TenderBoyz hop on a Gulfstream to New York to crash Pierpoint’s annual general meeting and announce their nefarious plan, with Whilimena’s grudging assistance.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
In each approach, the result is sometimes barely more than a grudging nod to history — a brick wall, a truncated staircase, one column out of a dozen left uncovered with Sheetrock.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 28 Jan. 2026
Several other housing advocates and policymakers expressed a similar grudging acceptance of the plan.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Cite this Entry
“Grudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grudging. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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