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
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
In Spielberg’s hands, Jaws was a lot more than a terrifying great white shark; the characters of Quint, Hooper and Brody are indelible, their grudging camaraderie bolstered by the film’s centerpiece: the chilling tale of the USS Indianapolis.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 May 2025
Among his old Mount Vernon crew, there is a grudging acceptance of their diminished role in the legend.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Their odd-couple pairing became a magnificent slow burn of hatred into grudging respect into genuine affection, making for a tantalizing will-they-won't-they.
—Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Adjective
Looking back eight decades later, Truman's decision deserves not condemnation but a tragic and grudging gratitude.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
In Spielberg’s hands, Jaws was a lot more than a terrifying great white shark; the characters of Quint, Hooper and Brody are indelible, their grudging camaraderie bolstered by the film’s centerpiece: the chilling tale of the USS Indianapolis.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 May 2025
Among his old Mount Vernon crew, there is a grudging acceptance of their diminished role in the legend.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Their odd-couple pairing became a magnificent slow burn of hatred into grudging respect into genuine affection, making for a tantalizing will-they-won't-they.
—Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudging
Adjective
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Step by careful step, Holbrook climbed, holding out bologna and cheese until two pairs of cautious eyes peeked back.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Clearly, the Times cannot be punished either for disliking him or for trying to defeat him.—
Stephen L. Carter,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Clearly, the Times cannot be punished either for disliking him or for trying to defeat him.—
Stephen L. Carter,
Twin Cities,
18 Sep. 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
Verb
-
Independents are more split, with 43 percent approving and 38 percent disapproving.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The poll also found 52% of all voters disapproving of his handling of immigration, including 75% of Hispanic voters.—
Benjamin Siegel,
ABC News,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Believe it or not, traveling by bus is a comfortable, economical, and reliable way to get around in Brazil.—
Jade Moyano,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
-
As space transport comes down in price, the team believes the idea could become economical by 2035.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The documents included disciplinary information and reportedly showed that Sherrill was barred from walking at her 1994 graduation after refusing to inform on classmates involved in a cheating scandal.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The violations include student-athletes betting on and against their own teams, sharing information with third parties for purposes of sports betting, manipulating scoring or outcomes and/or refusing to participate in the investigation.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
This is, in part, correct: Voldemort is extremely covetous of power.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Trump levied his greatest assault against the international economic order, announcing the most expansive set of tariffs in American history on both autocratic adversaries and America’s closest democratic allies in April 2025 (Russia was strikingly excluded).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Trump, however, made inroads with New Jersey voters in November 2024, making for a surprisingly close race.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudging. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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