grudgingly

American  

[gruhj-ing-lee] / ˈgrʌdʒ ɪŋ li /

adverb

1. reluctantly or unwillingly; not generously or with a good will.

   He tried to evade the work and the responsibility until the very last moment and then grudgingly, finally, exasperatingly did his job.

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Etymology

Origin of grudgingly

grudging ( def. ) + -ly

Compare meaning

How does grudgingly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• grudgingly vs. begrudgingly

Explanation

If you do something grudgingly, you're not exactly whistling while you work — you're resentful and annoyed and only doing it, probably, because you have to. A grudge is a lingering resentment against someone, something you can't quite forgive. When you behave grudgingly, you're acting as if you're remembering some past slight or insult. If the guy behind the counter in the deli glares at you and hands you your sandwich grudgingly, you might wonder what you did to make him so grouchy and mad at you.

Example Sentences

Grudgingly, the customer agrees, but Marina worries the request may cause the customer to leave her a poor rating.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2020

Grudgingly, he gave the agencies until April 26 to go through the remaining papers again and make their case.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2017

Grudgingly, I rather like the image of tiny characters debating on Trump’s sleeve.

From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2016

Grudgingly, he put them in his backyard, and kept adding new ones as he created them.

From Washington Times • Mar. 15, 2015

Grudgingly, we sent him cards on special days, copied out our best compositions, stayed in touch, knowing it was all show.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• carefully
• cautiously
• hesitantly
• unwillingly
• warily