grudge

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrəj 

grudged; grudging

transitive verb

: to be unwilling to give or admit : give or allow reluctantly or resentfully

I don't grudge paying my share.

grudger noun

grudge

2 of 2

noun

: a feeling of deep-seated resentment or ill will

held no grudge against those who mistreated him

Synonyms of grudge

Noun

• resentment
• grievance

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

Ira Wertenteil chooses to believe the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion has no ghostly grudge against him. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 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

Noun

And going after firms because the Administration has a grudge against a specific lawyer who works there is unprecedented, and represents a crude weaponization of executive power. —Fabio Bertoni, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025

The mix of private-property culture, individualism, and the country’s fragmented zoning laws creates ideal conditions for personal grudges to solidify into real estate. —Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025

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

circa 1500, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing grudge

• grudge match

Rhymes for grudge

• budge
• drudge
• frage
• fudge
• judge
• mudge
• nudge
• rudge
• sludge
• smudge
• trudge
• adjudge

Kids Definition

grudge

1 of 2 verb

ˈgrəj 

grudged; grudging

: begrudge

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