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
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"First Love Language" by Stefany Valentine, Broken Hearts and Broken Homes–A Different Love Language
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Kwame Crashes the Underworld
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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.
He has begrudgingly considering cutting out the rides into town for elderly customers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Wainwright said he retired from his most recent job at the East of England Ambulance Service in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, in 2020, and begrudgingly took on the role of house husband.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Most people are begrudgingly getting through today so they can eventually arrive at the life they actually want.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
Feig and screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine cleverly use this teenage-boy-daydream element to reel in male audiences who may be begrudgingly watching with their girlfriends, and Seyfried perfectly plays into the reverie.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026
And one day, just after I had turned fourteen, I arrived home from school expecting to eat some snacks, watch some television, and begrudgingly start my homework, when my parents said the day had arrived.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
Definitions 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.
