grudge

[ gruhj ]

noun

1. a feeling of ill will or resentment:

   to hold a grudge against a former opponent.

   Synonyms: bitterness, hatred, enmity, malevolence, rancor

adjective

1. done, arranged, etc., in order to settle a grudge:

   The middleweight fight was said to be a grudge match.

verb (used with object)

, grudged, grudg·ing.

1. to give or permit with reluctance; submit to unwillingly:

   The other team grudged us every point we scored.

2. to resent the good fortune of (another); begrudge:

   A lot of people grudge those billionaires all that money.

   Synonyms: envy

verb (used without object)

, grudged, grudg·ing.

1. Obsolete. to feel dissatisfaction or ill will.

grudge

/ ɡrʌdʒ /

noun

1. a persistent feeling of resentment, esp one due to some cause, such as an insult or injury
2. modifier planned or carried out in order to settle a grudge

   a grudge fight

verb

1. tr to give or allow unwillingly
2. to feel resentful or envious about (someone else's success, possessions, etc)

Derived Forms

• ˈgrudging, adjective
• ˈgrudgeless, adjective
• ˈgrudger, noun
• ˈgrudgingly, adverb

Other Words From

• grudgeless adjective
• grudger noun
• un·grudged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grudge¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English grudgen, gruggen, variant of gruchen, from Old French gro(u)c(h)ier, from Germanic; compare Middle High German grogezen “to complain, cry out”

Word History and Origins

Origin of grudge¹

C15: from Old French grouchier to grumble, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German grunnizōn to grunt

Idioms and Phrases

see bear a grudge ; nurse a grudge .

Synonym Study

Grudge, malice, spite refer to ill will held against another or others. A grudge is a feeling of resentment harbored because of some real or fancied wrong: to hold a grudge because of jealousy; She has a grudge against him. Malice is the state of mind that delights in doing harm, or seeing harm done, to others, whether expressing itself in an attempt seriously to injure or merely in sardonic humor: malice in watching someone's embarrassment; to tell lies about someone out of malice. Spite is petty, and often sudden, resentment that manifests itself usually in trifling retaliations: to reveal a secret out of spite.

Example Sentences

It would be good for the girls to see, too, that you can respect their decision fully and still not carry their grudges into the adult friendships.

From Washington Post

An eagerness to promote short-term grievances into long-term grudges is detrimental to family harmony.

From Washington Post

Ah, the holiday spirit — and its many ways to bear a grudge.

From Washington Post

His stories did what many big-city columnists’ stories have done over the decades, grinding axes and nursing grudges.

From Washington Post

I’m not going to sit here and carry a grudge just because people expect me to carry it.

From Washington Post

We Micks only hold a grudge about such things for 300 years or so.

From The Daily Beast

One nabob even seems to have commandeered the challenge to reignite an old grudge.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, this theory makes sense as the answer to a question like, “Why is Solange holding a grudge against Jay Z?”

From The Daily Beast

But I meant it less as you holding a grudge and more as… Of course I had to register the protest.

From The Daily Beast

Consider what The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water, Pulse, and a slew of other horror remakes have to add.

From The Daily Beast

This would be an awful blow to us out here, would be a sign that Providence had some grudge against the Dardanelles.

From Project Gutenberg

It was miserable economy indeed to grudge a reward of a few thousands to one who had made the State richer by millions.

From Project Gutenberg

I grudge no trouble in the duty that Providence has forced upon me of superintending the lives of any of my girls.

From Project Gutenberg

In any case, after the first hours of bitterness, Tchaikovsky bore no grudge against the faithless lady.

From Project Gutenberg

Now he had a new grudge against Louis de Valmont; to the sins of the master had been added those of the men.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• animosity
• animus
• antipathy
• bad blood
• bitterness
• enmity
• grievance
• hard feelings
• hatred
• ill will
• injustice
• malice
• rancor
• resentment

More About Grudge

What does grudge mean?

A grudge is a feeling of anger, bitterness, or resentment toward someone for something they did, especially a wrong that you think they committed against you.

The word grudge is typically used to refer to such a feeling when it has been held for a long period of time—often longer than is considered normal.

For that reason, grudge is often used in phrases like hold a grudge, nurse a grudge, bear a grudge, and harbor a grudge. 

Grudges are usually directed toward people, but a person can hold a grudge against a group or an entity like a company or organization. The word grudge is often followed by the word against and whom or what the grudge is directed toward, as in Your father still holds a grudge against that pizzeria for getting his order wrong that one time. 

A grudge match is a competition, such as a boxing match, between opponents who have (or are depicted as having) some specific, personal reason for being bitter rivals.

Less commonly, grudge can be used as a verb meaning to resent or envy someone else’s good fortune, as in Don’t grudge them for their success. The related verb begrudge can be used to mean the same thing. Grudge can also mean to give or allow with reluctance or unwillingness, as in My company has grudged me every raise I have requested. The verb begrudge doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as this sense of grudge. Specifically, begrudge often means to be reluctant to give or allow—as opposed to meaning to give or allow reluctantly.

Example: She has held a grudge against me ever since I beat her in the spelling bee in fifth grade.

Where does grudge come from?

The first records of the word grudge come from the 1400s. It comes from the Old French grouchier, which means “to grumble” and is also the basis of the word grouch. Grudge is probably related to the Middle High German word grogezen, meaning “to complain, cry out.”

When a person holds a grudge, it’s often due to treatment or an action that’s considered unforgivable by the person holding the grudge. Usually this involves a personal slight (or perceived personal slight), but a person can hold a grudge against someone they don’t even know. A lot of grudges are held for petty reasons, including things that the supposed wrongdoer doesn’t even know that they did. The opposite of holding a grudge can be thought of as forgiving and forgetting (or letting it go).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to grudge?

• grudging (continuous tense verb, adjective)
• grudgingly (adverb)

What are some words that share a root or word element with grudge? 

• hold a grudge
• nurse a grudge
• bear a grudge
• begrudge
• grouch

What are some words that often get used in discussing grudge?

 

• have
• hold
• harbor
• nurse
• bear
• bitter
• resentment
• petty
• spite
• jealousy
• hate
• rival
• past

How is grudge used in real life?

Grudge is most commonly used as a noun. People hold grudges for all kinds of reasons.

If you still hold a grudge against someone for what they did to you a year prior, grow up. Let it go. Move on past it instead of holding onto it. Be the better person

— ChillCat Tyler (@TylerFurlong86) October 23, 2020

You think you hold a grudge? I still hold a grudge against the Dodgers for leaving Brooklyn and I wasn't even born then.

— Bernie Would Have Won (@KevinPDempsey) October 28, 2020

A picture of me with my grudge list pic.twitter.com/G3MHCqYvMm

— Laura Jane Grace (@LauraJaneGrace) October 22, 2020

 

Try using grudge!

Is grudge used correctly in the following sentence?

Instead of grudging their win, you could try congratulating them and moving on.