begrudgingly
Americanadverb
-
with or despite feelings of resentment or envy.
With virtually no advertising, he is swamped with work—a fact I begrudgingly admit because he's too busy to take me anywhere!
-
reluctantly; unwillingly.
I've eaten calf liver begrudgingly, but ultimately I don't like sitting down to a big slab of organ meat.
Etymology
Origin of begrudgingly
Compare meaning
How does begrudgingly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When you do something even though you really don't want to, you do it begrudgingly. If you hate to admit that your brother's cookies came out better than yours, you'll only do it begrudgingly. To act begrudgingly is to begrudge, a word that's rooted in the Middle English grucchen, "to find fault with or be angry." So when you find yourself grumbling about something (but doing it anyway), you're doing it begrudgingly. If you dislike asparagus, you're only going to eat it begrudgingly, and if you're bitterly jealous of your friend's award, you'll applaud her win begrudgingly.
Vocabulary lists containing begrudgingly
One Crazy Summer
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"First Love Language" by Stefany Valentine, Broken Hearts and Broken Homes–A Different Love Language
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Kwame Crashes the Underworld
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They needed health insurance—so Bauers begrudgingly decided to give his floundering athletic career one last chance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Forte plays Kevin Avery, a downcast injury lawyer living in Albuquerque who begrudgingly accepts a new client, the tenacious Wile E. Coyote, in a trial against the Acme Corp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Houghton and his partner begrudgingly began figuring out how to arrange episodes and soon discovered the process was also helping them structure the investigation.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The juror, Gerson Puig, begrudgingly put on his “Thing 5” sign—then took it off right after the picture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Brother Lekan’s shrewd eyes study me a second longer before, begrudgingly, he gestures for me to step forward.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
