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
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 28 Jan. 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
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
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
-
The move, Lindon said, is careful.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
-
However, the Vaile Victorian Society, the volunteer group that maintains the house and runs tours, worries that once the house ceases to become a public property, the careful preservation work, which the aged property relies on, will be impossible to maintain.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 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
-
She’s first shown wearing a skimpy dog costume as she and Nate’s housekeeper, Juana (Minerva Garcia), records until Nate comes home and angrily interrupts, disapproving of Cassie’s side hustle.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Trump recently received his lowest approval ratings in both terms, with 59% of respondents disapproving of him and 47% strongly disapproving, according to a March Fox News survey.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Here’s an economical idea for this World Cup.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
This highly economical approach enabled her to foreground editing techniques and video effects, as well as color and sound mixing.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Strickland then mocked Chimaev for refusing to fight in the parking lot.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Baldoni later accused a trio of other insurers of breach of contract for refusing to cover litigation costs.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
7 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 11 May. 2026.
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