grudgingly

American  

[gruhj-ing-lee] / ˈgrʌdʒ ɪŋ li /

adverb

1. reluctantly or unwillingly; not generously or with a good will.

   He tried to evade the work and the responsibility until the very last moment and then grudgingly, finally, exasperatingly did his job.

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Etymology

Origin of grudgingly

grudging ( def. ) + -ly

Compare meaning

How does grudgingly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• grudgingly vs. begrudgingly

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.

Example Sentences

That team became the lordly Yankees, an “aesthetically evil” and “universally despised dynasty” that, nonetheless, Mr. Gittlitz grudgingly admits, has a lot of working-class fans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

That could mean the biggest AI stocks won’t be afforded the luxury of patience that investors have grudgingly provided.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 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

Anyone who mocked her viral rendition of “Imagine” at the start of the pandemic will have to grudgingly concede that she at least keeps up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2025

They didn’t make any sense to me, but Daedalus nodded grudgingly.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• carefully
• cautiously
• hesitantly
• unwillingly
• warily