The Meaning of Grudge: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of grudge? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word grudge, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word grudge mean?

According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language as well as other dictionaries like Collins English dictionary and American Heritage, the word grudge can either be used as a transitive verb or a noun. As a transitive verb, this word means to be unwilling to admit or give, or to allow something reluctantly or resentfully. As a noun, the word grudge refers to a feeling of deep-seated ill-will or resentment. The pronunciation of grudge is ɡrʌdʒ.

Many different languages also use words that mean grudge. You might notice that some of these words look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates. Cognates occur when two words from different languages look and sound similar, and also mean similar things. These are formed when two words have the same language of origin or root. This list of translations of grudge is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Turkish: kin‎, hınç‎
  •  Quechua: chiqniy‎
  •  Bulgarian: недоволство‎, неприязън‎ (fem.)
  •  Swedish: agg‎ (neut.)
  •  Hindi: डाह‎ (fem.)
  •  Bokmål: nag‎
  •  Romanian: pică‎ (fem.), pizmă‎ (fem.), ranchiună‎ (fem.)
  •  Mandarin: 怨恨‎ (yuànhèn)
  •  Finnish: kauna‎, närä‎
  •  Danish: nag‎, uvilje‎
  •  Telugu: పగ‎ (paga)
  •  Portuguese: rancor‎ (masc.)
  •  Russian: неприя́знь‎ (fem.)
  •  Yiddish: פֿאַריבל‎ (faribl, faribel)
  •  Spanish: rencor‎ (masc.)
  •  Albanian: mëllë‎ (masc.)
  •  Bashkir: үпкә‎
  •  Malay: dendam‎
  •  Italian: rancore‎ (masc.), risentimento‎ (masc.), astio‎ (masc.)
  •  Norwegian:
  •  Hiligaynon: kadumut‎, kahíkaw‎
  •  Old English: anda‎ (masc.), inca‎ (masc.)
  •  Ancient Greek: κότος‎ (masc.)
  •  Japanese: 怨‎ (en)
  •  Dutch: rancune‎, wrok‎
  •  Greek: μνησικακία‎ (fem.), μανιάτικο‎ (neut.)
  •  Serbo-Croatian: kivnost‎ (fem.), resentiman‎, kivnja‎ (fem.)
  •  French: rancune‎
  •  German: Groll‎ (masc.), Neid‎ (masc.)
  •  Arabic: بُغْض‎, ضَغِينَة‎ 

What is the origin of the word grudge?

According to Etymonline, the word grudge has been used as a verb since the mid-15th century and a noun since the late 15th century. This is a variant of the Middle English grutch. This word comes from Old French gro and Germanic origin, from the Old High German grunnizōn, Middle High German grogezen, and grucchen. Related words can be formed by adding different suffixes like ing, ed or ly to create grudged (past tense), grudges (pl. n.), grudging (adj.) or grudgingly (adv.). 

What are synonyms and antonyms for the word grudge?

There are a plethora of different words that a person can use in place of the word grudge. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms is provided by Thesaurus.

  •  hatred
  •  maliciousness
  •  aversion
  •  hate
  •  animus
  •  malignancy
  •  injury
  •  spitefulness
  •  bone to pick
  •  malice
  •  venom
  •  malevolence
  •  spite
  •  hard feelings
  •  spleen
  •  pique
  •  ill will
  •  bad blood
  •  injustice
  •  grievance
  •  pet peeve
  •  peeve
  •  resentment
  •  rancor
  •  bitterness
  •  animosity
  •  antipathy
  •  dislike
  •  enmity
  •  grunt
  •  grumble

There are also a number of different words in the English language that have the opposite meaning of the word grudge. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are another great way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms is also provided by Thesaurus

  •  affection
  •  devotion
  •  amity
  •  company
  •  sodality
  •  concord
  •  coalition
  •  pact
  •  affinity
  •  benevolence
  •  league
  •  empathy
  •  sociability
  •  esteem
  •  accord
  •  consonance
  •  attachment
  •  partiality
  •  alliance
  •  friendship
  •  harmony
  •  amiability
  •  solidarity
  •  regard
  •  amicability
  •  association
  •  understanding
  •  society
  •  comity
  •  friendliness
  •  rapport
  •  love
  •  favor
  •  intimacy
  •  agreement
  •  familiarity
  •  favoritism
  •  consideration
  •  closeness
  •  companionship
  •  fondness
  •  acquaintanceship
  •  good will
  •  attraction
  •  fusion 

How can the word grudge be used in a sentence?

The word grudge can be used in many different sentences. Below are many examples of grudge. 

The man still held a grudge toward his freshman year roommate at Princeton University. He could never let go of the past inside, or the sardonic humor that his roommate had. He felt embarrassment thinking about the past insult that was thrown his way on the first day of college. 

The two students held a long-term grudge toward one another. They were constantly competing about different things, from who got their permit first, to who won a certain reward, to the adult friendships they formed after they graduated.  This grief lasted long into adulthood, and they even had reluctance about going to the reunion because they might see each other.

The woman had an eagerness to get past the grudge that her co-worker held against her, but hearing her murmur rumors to the other coworkers made her think that wouldn’t happen any time soon.

The bitter author held a grudge toward the publishers at Random House and Harpercollins Publishers that did not buy his book. 

The wrestler held a grudge toward his former opponent in the middleweight fight. He felt he could have won, and therefore never got over it. 

The woman got over her grudge toward her sister, and wished her good fortune and family harmony in her marriage on her wedding day. 

Overall, the word grudge (pronounced ˈgrʌdʒ) means Some persistent feeling of ill will, discontent, sullen malice, secret enmity, or old cause of hatred. This word can be used as a noun or a verb, with many different modifiers to create parts of speech like an adjective or adverb, as well as tenses including the present participle and past participle. This implies a lack of enjoyment and a malicious disposition or compunction for another person. Somebody can hold a grudge about short-term grievances, or many other things like jealousy or envy. Somebody who was holding a grudge might have a bitter state of mind or wish harm to someone else. Long-term grudges imply a persistent feeling of resentment and hope for retaliations. 

Sources:

  1. Grudge | Definition of Grudge | Merriam-Webster 
  2. grudge: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  3. GRUDGE Synonyms: 65 Synonyms & Antonyms for GRUDGE | Thesaurus 
  4. FRIENDSHIP Synonyms: 68 Synonyms & Antonyms for FRIENDSHIP | Thesaurus