grudge

1 of 2

verb

grudged; grudging

transitive verb

: to be unwilling to give or admit : give or allow reluctantly or resentfully
didn't grudge the time
grudger noun

grudge

2 of 2

noun

: a feeling of deep-seated resentment or ill will
held no grudge against those who mistreated him
Choose the Right Synonym for grudge

malice, malevolence, ill will, spite, malignity, spleen, grudge mean the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress.

malice implies a deep-seated often unexplainable desire to see another suffer.

felt no malice toward their former enemies

malevolence suggests a bitter persistent hatred that is likely to be expressed in malicious conduct.

a look of dark malevolence

ill will implies a feeling of antipathy of limited duration.

ill will provoked by a careless remark

spite implies petty feelings of envy and resentment that are often expressed in small harassments.

petty insults inspired by spite

malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness.

a life consumed by motiveless malignity

spleen suggests the wrathful release of latent spite or persistent malice.

venting his spleen against politicians

grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.

never one to harbor a grudge

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
Verb
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 Summing up, Nixon called for the Chinese to be bold and not grudging. William McGurn, WSJ, 26 Nov. 2018
Noun
At the grudge stage, individuals with erotomania might possibly act out or finally accept that the relationship is impossible, moving on to repeat the cycle with someone new. Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The president held a very deep grudge, the person said. Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2024 The years-long grudge the swans hold against their former friend devolves into a P.R. war to be won by whoever seems the least pathetic. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2024 Before addressing his specific comments, Rodgers had a lengthy preamble about his grudges against Kimmel, including jokes the comic has made about the quarterback’s anti-COVID-19 vaccination comments. Dennis Waszak Jr., Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2024 Is there any habit harder to break than harboring a grudge against an old adversary? Ben Long, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Peltz’s ally, Perlmutter, had held a grudge against Iger ever since Iger intervened a decade ago to keep Perlmutter from firing his subordinate, Kevin Feige, the creative mastermind behind the Marvel movies. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024 Aaron Rodgers continues to cling to conspiracy theories and grudges, tainting the legacy of one of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks ever. USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024 In Mexico, the past is never really over, and grudges are carried over the centuries. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English grucchen, grudgen to grumble, complain, from Anglo-French grucer, grucher, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German grogezen to howl

Noun

derivative of grudge entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grudge was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near grudge

Cite this Entry

“Grudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grudge. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

grudge

1 of 2 verb
grudged; grudging
grudger noun
grudgingly
-iŋ-lē
adverb

grudge

2 of 2 noun
: a strong lasting feeling of resentment toward someone for a real or imagined wrong

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