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
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
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
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
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
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
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 and don’t overreact.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 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
-
This tendency by people to be upset and disapproving of AI seems to be across the board.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
His hard-line immigration policies have proven to be particularly unpopular, with six in 10 residents disapproving of his actions, according to the survey, a stark contrast to the county’s historical stance on the issue.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Experts note that keeping human employees might be more economical, with examples like NVIDIA's VP Bryan Catanzaro and Uber's CTO reporting AI costs surpassing human labor expenses.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Similarly economical and granularly detailed is a 20-minute sequence in the middle of the film that’s gruesome, comical and crucial to the propulsion of the story.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
And refusing to keep any kind of part-time income trickling in only further complicates the situation.—
Wes Moss,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Mayor Steven Streit presented the rise of data centers and the AI industry as inevitable, and said that the city had a chance to benefit by meeting the new industry on its terms and imposing restrictions rather than refusing it completely.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 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 2 Jun. 2026.
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