as in resentments
a lingering ill will towards a person for a real or imagined wrong
he's had a grudge against her ever since she snubbed him at the dance
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Recent Examples of grudges
Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Her relationship with her family is fraught, and not just because of her liberal politics; religious animosity, personal grudges, and class resentment all play a part.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
Be wary of friends who act like their grudges are the only ones that matter in a relationship.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Arguing and holding grudges do not lead to great outcomes for our children.
—Pioneer Press Elections Team, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
The episodes included many famous guests, including Obama, as well as Robin Williams and Paul McCartney, and offered a revealing look at Maron’s own life, with the host often talking about his personal life, pet peeves and grudges and relationships with the guests on the show.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
As grudges go, isn’t that long enough?
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
With a few exceptions, this cast is rife with petty grudges and trivial scandals that make for perfect competition-show fodder.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 3 Sep. 2025
Or holding onto grudges instead of healing?
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Her relationship with her family is fraught, and not just because of her liberal politics; religious animosity, personal grudges, and class resentment all play a part.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
Be wary of friends who act like their grudges are the only ones that matter in a relationship.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Arguing and holding grudges do not lead to great outcomes for our children.
—Pioneer Press Elections Team, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
The episodes included many famous guests, including Obama, as well as Robin Williams and Paul McCartney, and offered a revealing look at Maron’s own life, with the host often talking about his personal life, pet peeves and grudges and relationships with the guests on the show.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
As grudges go, isn’t that long enough?
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
With a few exceptions, this cast is rife with petty grudges and trivial scandals that make for perfect competition-show fodder.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 3 Sep. 2025
Or holding onto grudges instead of healing?
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudges
Noun
-
Musk’s fingerprints abound across the sections of Grokipedia that address subjects of his own resentments.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
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Left in its wake are rising societal resentments and an ever-increasing wealth gap.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While the party broadly dislikes the law, some in Congress have begun to acknowledge they may be stuck with it.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
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The end result is that no one dislikes him, and Lee’s day passes without much friction, which doesn’t make for blistering TV.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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From Madagascar to Nepal, young people have been driving protests, their grievances specific to each nation but broadly tied to weariness with corruption, crime, opaque governance and evaporating economic opportunities.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Democrats held a marathon lunch meeting Tuesday, bordering on three hours, to hash out the options ahead of them, and air some grievances.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Many Democrats have adopted a more brash and confrontational style of politics, which refuses to keep anything quiet.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
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Paul Thomas Anderson fits a generation’s worth of cineplex joys into One Battle After Another, but the revolution refuses to get off the couch.—
Jonathan Lethem,
The New York Review of Books,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grudges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudges. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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