begrudgingly
Americanadverb
-
with or despite feelings of resentment or envy.
With virtually no advertising, he is swamped with work—a fact I begrudgingly admit because he's too busy to take me anywhere!
-
reluctantly; unwillingly.
I've eaten calf liver begrudgingly, but ultimately I don't like sitting down to a big slab of organ meat.
Etymology
Origin of begrudgingly
Compare meaning
How does begrudgingly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When you do something even though you really don't want to, you do it begrudgingly. If you hate to admit that your brother's cookies came out better than yours, you'll only do it begrudgingly. To act begrudgingly is to begrudge, a word that's rooted in the Middle English grucchen, "to find fault with or be angry." So when you find yourself grumbling about something (but doing it anyway), you're doing it begrudgingly. If you dislike asparagus, you're only going to eat it begrudgingly, and if you're bitterly jealous of your friend's award, you'll applaud her win begrudgingly.
Vocabulary lists containing begrudgingly
One Crazy Summer
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"First Love Language" by Stefany Valentine, Broken Hearts and Broken Homes–A Different Love Language
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Kwame Crashes the Underworld
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He begrudgingly created Berkshire’s Class B shares in 1996 after Samuel Katz, a self-described civic entrepreneur, gushed to Buffett in a letter about his plans to create a unit investment trust containing Berkshire’s stock.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Most people are begrudgingly getting through today so they can eventually arrive at the life they actually want.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
He recalls those early years eating calamari straight from the fryer and begrudgingly embracing room-temperature plates.
From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025
When he signed with the Angels in 2018, Yang, an L.A. native, begrudgingly went to the games with his wife just to catch their favorite player on the diamond.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025
And begrudgingly, I have to admit—he’s decidedly not unattractive.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
