grudging

[ gruhj-ing ]

adjective

1. displaying or reflecting reluctance or unwillingness:

   grudging acceptance of the victory of an opponent.

Other Words From

• grudg·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of grudging¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; grudge, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Things were going fair to middling with his candidacy until Biden’s catastrophic, catatonic debate performance in June, which caused a major Democratic freak-out and resulted in his grudging departure from the ticket and endorsement of Harris.

From Los Angeles Times

But the cheers for the president could be as much a sign of gratitude for his grudging decision to step aside as it was a tribute to a storied political career that began in 1972 when he was first elected to Congress at the age of 29.

From BBC

His Daily News relentlessly covered the issues around the police beating of Rodney King and the Rampart police corruption scandal, winning sometimes grudging admiration from The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

Belousov’s appointment is “a grudging recognition from the Kremlin” that it has to pay attention to these problems, said Gould-Davies.

From Seattle Times

But her exchanges with the leaders of Harvard and Penn attracted enormous attention and won some rare plaudits from grudging liberals.

From New York Times

Related Words

• begrudging
• bitterness
• hatred
• ill will
• jealousy
• malice
• prejudice
• resentment
• rivalry