as in careful
said, done, or given in an unwilling or doubtful way
Her theories have begun to win grudging acceptance in the scientific community. He has earned the grudging admiration/respect of his rivals.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grudging
Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2025
In countries whose governance systems were nascent, local-scale and unprepared to absorb massive external capital inflows, credit ratings found grudging acceptance as a proxy credit-governance mechanism.
—Ann Rutledge, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
The most grudging sort of minimalist, Anderson places most of his emphasis on the yawning void between skeletal drum hits and moody streaks of synth.
—Pitchfork, 5 Dec. 2024
Congress rejected his major health care policy initiatives, and his grudging support for a much more limited national health insurance plan in part spurred Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) to challenge the incumbent Carter from the left in the 1980 Democratic presidential primary.
—Guian McKee / Made By History, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Adjective
His grudging decision in July not to run came too late to qualify as statesmanship.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2025
In countries whose governance systems were nascent, local-scale and unprepared to absorb massive external capital inflows, credit ratings found grudging acceptance as a proxy credit-governance mechanism.
—Ann Rutledge, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
The most grudging sort of minimalist, Anderson places most of his emphasis on the yawning void between skeletal drum hits and moody streaks of synth.
—Pitchfork, 5 Dec. 2024
Congress rejected his major health care policy initiatives, and his grudging support for a much more limited national health insurance plan in part spurred Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) to challenge the incumbent Carter from the left in the 1980 Democratic presidential primary.
—Guian McKee / Made By History, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudging
Adjective
-
These concerns underscore the need for careful consideration of privacy rights when deploying such technology.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
-
Hot sleepers will love the coolness of this duvet cover, as well as the hotel feel of its crisp corners and careful stitching.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
What remained unclear is how much of a lasting boost China’s economy could get from the ingenuity of one start-up, or how much confidence the business community could derive from the sudden friendliness of a leader who has a reputation for distrusting and disliking the private sector.—
Li Yuan,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
-
And if casually disliking January wasn't enough, 13% of Americans reported hating it.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And Villanelle has very begrudging respect for this woman.—
Dan Snierson,
EW.com,
13 Apr. 2020
-
Philadelphia needs its rookie quarterback, Carson Wentz, to post 300 passing yards for a third consecutive week, because there is no running the ball against the Ravens, who have the most begrudging ground defense in the league.—
DAVID WHITE,
New York Times,
16 Dec. 2016
Adjective
-
While Drop, clocking in at an economical 93 minutes, may sound like fun and games, there’s something deeper and more human at its core than mindless nonsense.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The only place where cooking your own meals isn’t the most economical option is Southeast Asia, where street food is usually cheaper.—
Matt Kepnes,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For a very long time, other nations have been sizing up California with a covetous eye.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Those include a daffy retriever, a headstrong capybara, a covetous lemur and a mysterious bird, as well as glimpses of more fantastical creatures.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
There are several international destinations where pickpocketing is extremely common, so having all of my essentials close is a priority.—
Jordyn Burrell,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Visitors can get up close and touch history at the ruins left behind.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
However, the pair were convicted of improperly withholding $94 million of that settlement from 440 plaintiffs.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Only four of the eight Ivy League schools released information about their early admissions this year, as Harvard joined UPenn, Princeton, and Cornell in withholding the majority of their admissions data until the conclusion of this year's admissions season.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Chief among those are the stubbornness, hot-headedness and resentful pride that drove away Maryanne (The Righteous Gemstones’ Jennifer Nettles), his ex-wife and erstwhile performing partner, and their teenage son, Cade (Maxwell Jenkins).—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Season 1 was largely about a conflict over a room, the butting of heads between the privileged guests and the resentful staff.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudging. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share