1
as in resentment
a lingering ill will towards a person for a real or imagined wrong
he's had a grudge against her ever since she snubbed him at the dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in hostility
a deep-seated ill will
there's been a grudge between the two families for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to dislike
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grudge
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
The Forty-Year Grudge by Liza Tully After four decades apart, former Sigma Delta Tau sisters reunite at a New Mexico ranch, where lingering tensions and old grudges quickly resurface.
—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
13 June 2026
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudge
Noun
But pretty soon the two interlopers into this small, grudge-holding but tight-knit community — the kind where, going back generations, everybody not only knows but is mightily resentful of everyone else’s business — develop a kind of outsider kinship.
—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
The Forty-Year Grudge by Liza Tully After four decades apart, former Sigma Delta Tau sisters reunite at a New Mexico ranch, where lingering tensions and old grudges quickly resurface.
—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
13 June 2026
Verb
Ira Wertenteil chooses to believe the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion has no ghostly grudge against him.
—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudge
Noun
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Unlike the 13 colonies, East and West Florida were largely unaffected by the British Stamp Act and other taxes that fueled resentment elsewhere because the colonies produced relatively little for the British colonial economy.
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When a leader isn't accountable to the process, the word becomes a do-as-I-say cliché that breeds resentment instead of results.
Noun
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Engelbert has consistently mismanaged the overt physical hostility directed at the league's biggest star.
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Today, however, some experts suggest that explicit displays of racial hostility have become more visible in public spaces.
Verb
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Because many Black players and media members dislike her, many on the left have cast Clark and her fans as villains.
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Lauer, who publicly disliked his bulk relief role with the Blue Jays, is now returning to a traditional starting role with the Dodgers.
Noun
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His celebratory words marking its 250th anniversary included not only the traditional paeans to the Founders but also a dose of personal grievance, plus soaring praise for his own achievements.
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Kyle Kuzma aired out his grievances with the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement Friday and shot off some fireworks before the July Fourth weekend.
Noun
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Disciples of this extremist hatred are running for office and winning in select primaries.
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But to the man himself, comedy is—like life—first and foremost about hatred of death.
Verb
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Wurth saw two more physicians who refused to discuss hormones before a urologist started her on estrogen gel, oral progesterone and a vaginal estrogen cream.
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The man had a gun and refused to drop it when ordered to by police, the sheriff said.
Noun
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In the case of Alito and Thomas, there is also a striking note of bitterness.
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Looking back now, however, there is no bitterness attached to that chapter.
Verb
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His opponent claimed that created a conflict of interest, which Weiser denied.
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The two housekeepers denied having such a conversation with Brown, noting language differences would have made such a discussion unlikely.
Cite this Entry
“Grudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudge. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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