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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 May 2025
-
To remove the paint from hinge mortises, remove the hinges and scrape away the paint using a 5-in-1 tool or a chisel, being careful not to cut into the wood itself.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 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
-
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
-
Your decisions should be based on the best, most economical way of going forward based on a lot of different scenarios, a wide range of scenarios.—
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
-
Apple products are typically expensive endeavors, but in this case, the Magic Mouse is actually the most economical option.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
19 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
-
Among the close friends and family celebrating were Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
24 May 2025
-
After the close, discount retailer Miniso Group (9896 HK, MSO US) missed Q1 estimates while online travel agency Tongcheng (780 HK) beat analyst expectations for Q1.—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share