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
Made By History, Time, 16 Apr. 2025
In the decades since, Iran-U.S. relations have see-sawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers before Trump withdrew from the deal, sparking more tensions in the Mideast that persist today.
—Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Adjective
Those revenues supported limited federal spending—on average only about 3% of gross domestic product compared to 23% today—for a few grudging investments in infrastructure.
— Made By History, Time, 16 Apr. 2025
In the decades since, Iran-U.S. relations have see-sawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers before Trump withdrew from the deal, sparking more tensions in the Mideast that persist today.
—Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudging
Adjective
-
However, be careful of blurring the distinction between professional and personal relationships.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
19 June 2025
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For most, wealth results from years of hard work, careful planning, and disciplined saving.—
Georgette Virgo,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
Verb
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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
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And Villanelle has very begrudging respect for this woman.—
Dan Snierson,
EW.com,
13 Apr. 2020
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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
-
Strip Shingles, also called three-tab, are the most basic and economical, but have the shortest lifespan (typically have a 20-30 year warranty).—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
25 June 2025
-
In May, scientists assessed sleep data from more than 200,000 people in China and also found that rising ambient temperatures would have a huge physical, mental and economical impact on residents as the planet continued to warm.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Image Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings The sudden appearance of seven mysterious doors across the world draws attention from religious sects, covetous billionaires and everyday people who speculate over what lies on the other side.—
Laura Thompson,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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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
Adjective
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The championship is Oklahoma City’s first since relocating from Seattle in 2008; for the Pacers, close wasn’t good enough for their second straight season with a strong playoff run before falling to the eventual NBA champs.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Some of my friends sent them a gift, knowing why they were not invited but three of my close friends didn’t send anything (even a card would have been thoughtful).—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 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
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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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The grief of this loss has left him unengaged with his new life, resentful of Olga for her busy military career surveilling orbital debris, and uninterested in making friends.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 June 2025
-
This is because, little under a year after being handed a landslide majority by the U.K. electorate, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is deeply unpopular and thrashing around for ways to appease a surly and resentful public.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudging. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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