Grudge
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment. countable
"to have, hold, owe or bear a grudge against someone"
- 2 a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation wordnet
- 1 To be unwilling to give or allow (someone something).
"Wee shall finde our whole life so necessarily ioyned with sorrow, that we ought rather delight (and take pleasure) in Gods louing chastisements, and admonitions, then any way murmure and grudge at our crosses, or tribulations :"
- 2 accept or admit unwillingly wordnet
- 3 To grumble, complain; to be dissatisfied. obsolete
"And the pharises, and scribes grudged sainge: He receaveth to his company synners [...]."
- 4 bear a grudge; harbor ill feelings wordnet
- 5 To hold or harbour with malicious disposition or purpose; to cherish enviously. obsolete
"Perish they / That grudge one thought against your majesty!"
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"It's not serious, I don't bear him a grudge."
Etymology
A variant of grutch (mid 15th-century, younger than begrudge), from Middle English grucchen (“to murmur, complain, feel envy, begrudge”), from Old French grouchier, groucier (“to murmur, grumble”), of Germanic origin, probably ultimately imitative. Akin to Middle High German grogezen (“to howl, wail”), German grocken (“to croak”). Compare also Old Norse krytja (“to murmur”), Old High German grunzen (“to grunt”).
Related phrases
More for "grudge"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.