as in resentments
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
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Recent Examples of grudges
Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Some can hold grudges for years.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 22 Jan. 2026
The move showcases House Republicans’ loyalty to the president and support for his political battles, as the vetoes had been seen as instances of Trump acting on political grudges.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2026
Still, the Bulldogs’ defensive back doesn’t harbor any grudges toward Sanders, nor CU.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
The strength of the Republican appeal to isolationism is essentially one of political revenge, a feeling that now is the time to settle old scores and old grudges.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
And a rivalry richer with personal grudges.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
With tournament implications, personal grudges, and high emotions on deck, this SmackDown could set the tone for major storylines heading into Survivor Series.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
But the plot lines running through the District 5 drama are more complicated than that on a commission where alliances and grudges often defy party loyalty.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 17 Nov. 2025
Noun
This one-year penance business reeks of score-settling, petty grudges and arm-twisting.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Some can hold grudges for years.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 22 Jan. 2026
The move showcases House Republicans’ loyalty to the president and support for his political battles, as the vetoes had been seen as instances of Trump acting on political grudges.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2026
Still, the Bulldogs’ defensive back doesn’t harbor any grudges toward Sanders, nor CU.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
The strength of the Republican appeal to isolationism is essentially one of political revenge, a feeling that now is the time to settle old scores and old grudges.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
And a rivalry richer with personal grudges.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
With tournament implications, personal grudges, and high emotions on deck, this SmackDown could set the tone for major storylines heading into Survivor Series.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
But the plot lines running through the District 5 drama are more complicated than that on a commission where alliances and grudges often defy party loyalty.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudges
Noun
-
This kind of transparency builds safety and keeps small issues from snowballing into resentments.—
Molly Burrets,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
March is always madness, but this month intensifies matters as Mars activates your relationship zone (between March 2 and April 9), bringing complexities, buried desires and unspoken resentments to the surface.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Langmuir showed that the molecules oriented themselves in a consistent way, looking like little tadpoles with the hydrophilic head, the end that likes water, toward the water, and the hydrophobic tail, the end that dislikes water, sticking up into the air.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Sean Payton dislikes quite a few things.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
They're exhausted by the constant airing of grievances having little to do with what's actually going on in the country, and by the broad generalizations about, well, everything, that ignore context, nuance and facts to promote a political viewpoint.—
Brenda Looper,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The country felt unified in its grievances against the regime.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If at a certain point the person refuses to cooperate, recruiters resort to blackmail, Andriy said, threatening to hand over the correspondence to the SBU.—
Daria Tarasova-Markina,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Nearly six years later, Donovan still refuses to feed into this narrative surrounding his exit from Oklahoma City and his expectations in Chicago.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grudges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudges. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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