begrudge

[bih-gruhj]

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verb (used with object), be·grudged, be·grudg·ing.

to envy or resent the pleasure or good fortune of (someone): She begrudged her friend the award.

to be reluctant to give, grant, or allow: She did not begrudge the money spent on her children's education.

Nearby words

Origin of begrudge

First recorded in 1350–1400, begrudge is from the Middle English word bigrucchen. See be-, grudge

SYNONYMS FOR begrudge

1. See envy.

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Related formsbe·grudg·ing·ly, adverbun·be·grudged, adjective

Can be confusedbegrudge regret resent (see synonym study at regret)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for begrudged

To everyone but right-wingers, that was the vibe Sunday night—a victory lap, and a victory lap that no one begrudged them.
The Real ‘60 Minutes’ Revelation|Michael Tomasky|January 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Updike: For many years I had begrudged Harvard the place it had in my life.
My Conversation with John Updike|Barbara Probst Solomon|January 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He knew that he had not given the world much; yet he had received largely, and no one had begrudged it to him.
The Small House at Allington|Anthony Trollope
Bitterly Sally begrudged the concession that she had been wrong.
Nobody|Louis Joseph Vance

To gain success, neither time, labor, nor expense must be begrudged; but the attendant must be assiduous and the cook skilful.
The Dog|Dinks, Mayhew, and Hutchinson
Not that she begrudged her brother his luck, or Mary her happiness.
Doctor Thorne|Anthony Trollope
Yet they begrudged the police the satisfaction of seeing him there.
The Quest|Frederik van Eeden

British Dictionary definitions for begrudged

begrudge

verb (tr)

to give, admit, or allow unwillingly or with a bad grace

to envy (someone) the possession of (something)

Derived Formsbegrudgingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for begrudged