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.
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Recent Examples of grudging
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
In Spielberg’s hands, Jaws was a lot more than a terrifying great white shark; the characters of Quint, Hooper and Brody are indelible, their grudging camaraderie bolstered by the film’s centerpiece: the chilling tale of the USS Indianapolis.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 May 2025
James was crowned James II with the grudging consent of Parliament.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
Among his old Mount Vernon crew, there is a grudging acceptance of their diminished role in the legend.
—Ben Sisario, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudging
Adjective
Looking back eight decades later, Truman's decision deserves not condemnation but a tragic and grudging gratitude.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudging
Adjective
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
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These soft and chewy treats are the result of dozens of careful recipe tests.—
Verb
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As The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski mentioned in his column, Finch’s frustration boiled over after years of disliking the way the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder can be officiated in comparison to other teams.—
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He is also known for disliking repeats of his shows being played too often – another potential reason why Phoenix Nights remains hard to track down despite its enduring popularity.—
Adjective
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And Villanelle has very begrudging respect for this woman.—
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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.—
Verb
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Approval ratings of the president were at -3 percentage points, with 44 percent of respondents approving and 47 percent disapproving, based on I&I/TIPP polling.—
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The poll also found 52% of all voters disapproving of his handling of immigration, including 75% of Hispanic voters.—
Adjective
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The Sisterbird birdhouse two-pack is an economical option for native North Texas bird species.—
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One economical approach is to get one humidifier for the room with the most plants in it, and move any other plants prone to dryness into the room for the winter months, if feasible.—
Verb
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By March, school districts across California are supposed to implement new guidance from the attorney general, including by clearly marking non-public areas and codifying a system for refusing access to immigration officers.—
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On the play before his score, Allen gained 10 yards on a sneak, refusing to go down while being pushed and pulled to the goal line.—
Adjective
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For most players, that amount of storage is realistically enough for all but the most covetous data hoarders.—
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This is, in part, correct: Voldemort is extremely covetous of power.—
Adjective
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Traffic concerns remained a prominent theme of the more than 100 emails the city received in early December, but many people expressed excitement at the prospect of a closer Costco.—
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The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters.—
Cite this Entry
“Grudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudging. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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