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
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
Thanks to months of groundwork by Sheinbaum and her economic team, Mexico emerged with preferential treatment—confounding skeptics and earning grudging respect from the famously unpredictable U.S. president.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Volkswagen’s profit-making prospects are on the mend and there’s a grudging positivity among investors who have lived through a few false dawns over the years.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
But a key reason the sanctions were so successful—winning grudging acceptance even from the likes of China, India, and Russia—was that Obama expressly deemed them a means to an end.
—Edward Fishman, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Adjective
The editors put in a full recap of their contentious but evolving friendship, which started with Lindsay hating Paige for shoehorning onto her show and has grown into a kind of grudging respect.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
Thanks to months of groundwork by Sheinbaum and her economic team, Mexico emerged with preferential treatment—confounding skeptics and earning grudging respect from the famously unpredictable U.S. president.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Volkswagen’s profit-making prospects are on the mend and there’s a grudging positivity among investors who have lived through a few false dawns over the years.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
But a key reason the sanctions were so successful—winning grudging acceptance even from the likes of China, India, and Russia—was that Obama expressly deemed them a means to an end.
—Edward Fishman, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudging
Adjective
-
From examining markets and assessing team capacity to reviewing current offerings, the decision to expand to a second storefront is one that requires careful consideration before any concrete plans are put in motion.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
-
Hillman and the department urged residents in the area to be extra careful this time of year.—
Brooke Baitinger,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
What remained unclear is how much of a lasting boost China’s economy could get from the ingenuity of one start-up, or how much confidence the business community could derive from the sudden friendliness of a leader who has a reputation for distrusting and disliking the private sector.—
Li Yuan,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
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And if casually disliking January wasn't enough, 13% of Americans reported hating it.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
1 Feb. 2025
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
Adjective
-
All those years of churning out newsweekly copy helped make Whitaker an instinctive crafter of miniature character arcs who chooses the right details and paints portraits with swift, economical strokes.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2025
-
Often situated right next to HomeGoods, many people forget about this flourishing neighbor when on the hunt for economical home finds.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
His approach, on and off the pitch, has had a transformative effect and as Palace seek to secure him on a new contract, there have been covetous glances cast in his direction from clubs in the German Bundesliga.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
For a very long time, other nations have been sizing up California with a covetous eye.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
However, research into the health benefits of the tart – also known as the sour, dwarf and, in the US, the Montmorency – cherry has produced some interesting results that warrant a closer look.—
Bronwyn Thompson,
New Atlas,
11 May 2025
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Simple solution: The Derby and Preakness are too close at 14 days apart.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2025
Verb
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However, the pair were convicted of improperly withholding $94 million of that settlement from 440 plaintiffs.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Only four of the eight Ivy League schools released information about their early admissions this year, as Harvard joined UPenn, Princeton, and Cornell in withholding the majority of their admissions data until the conclusion of this year's admissions season.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Sometimes there's also a lack of support—if partners or family members don’t share the mental load, new moms can feel isolated, unappreciated, or resentful, worsening feelings of depression.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
1 May 2025
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Lesser powers that find themselves under the dominion of a great power against their wishes can be resentful and rebellious.—
Margaret MacMillan,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudging. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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