grudgingly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of grudgingly
Compare meaning
How does grudgingly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Vocabulary lists containing grudgingly
A Long Walk to Water
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Night
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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.
Japan and India both historically have maintained cordial relations with Iran, although they grudgingly complied with US sanctions aimed at stopping all other countries from buying Iranian oil.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
“Across the New York area,” Mr. Gottlieb grudgingly allows, “virtually no one was ever convicted of burning buildings for profit.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
The then-Thai military ruler was shocked by the outcome, and wanted to attack Cambodia, but was persuaded by his diplomats to grudgingly accept the verdict.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
But there’s still one goal left, albeit one he talks about only grudgingly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Christopher had, grudgingly, learned a small amount of Latin at school, and he had a feeling that malum meant something else entirely.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
