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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grudges
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026
Internal drama — employee hook-ups, power plays, longstanding grudges — share space with the mix of the mundane and the outrageous that constitutes a typical day in a typical big-city emergency department.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
Voters are fragments of coalitions, habits, grudges, identities, and instincts.
—Matt Klink, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
Netflix’s Beef season 1 is the perfect demonstration of how grudges can spiral out of control, leading to a finale that’s as chaotic as the feud that drives it.
—Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
The President is, after all, known for his volatile temper and for holding grudges.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 6 Apr. 2026
But Trump has also turned to tariffs amid personal grudges, or in response to political critics.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Their secrets, grudges, and desires haven’ changes one iota.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
The Olympics that preached harmony finally united in a single city known for love, beauty and grudges.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
Jesse Minter and Mike McCarthy inherit a rivalry built on field goals, grudges and games that look like they were filmed through cigar smoke.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026
Internal drama — employee hook-ups, power plays, longstanding grudges — share space with the mix of the mundane and the outrageous that constitutes a typical day in a typical big-city emergency department.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
Voters are fragments of coalitions, habits, grudges, identities, and instincts.
—Matt Klink, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
Netflix’s Beef season 1 is the perfect demonstration of how grudges can spiral out of control, leading to a finale that’s as chaotic as the feud that drives it.
—Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
The President is, after all, known for his volatile temper and for holding grudges.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 6 Apr. 2026
But Trump has also turned to tariffs amid personal grudges, or in response to political critics.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Their secrets, grudges, and desires haven’ changes one iota.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
The Olympics that preached harmony finally united in a single city known for love, beauty and grudges.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudges
Noun
-
Wilde and Seth Rogen play longtime marrieds harboring a laundry list of resentments who host their upstairs neighbors (Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton) for an evening of fun.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
The movie thus offers a complaint about the end results of Putinism, not about the ideas—the emotions, the enthusiasms, the resentments, the hatreds—that brought it about.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Sam Brunson, a nonprofit law professor at Loyola University Chicago, told Fortune that as a general rule, a donor who dislikes how a charity later spends its money has no recourse beyond ceasing to donate.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But there is also a suspicion among defense chiefs, amplified by Robertson, that the Treasury dislikes handing money to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) due to the latter's various procurement mishaps.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But their relationship has long experienced severe ups and downs over grievances stemming from Japan’s 35-year colonization of the Korean Peninsula before the end of World War II.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
Since settling in the wealthy coastal city of Montecito, the pair have aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Each person gets a single scene but feels utterly real, with Will Dagger a standout as the cousin, leaking needy bravado, and Constance Shulman very funny as the funeral director, determined to stage a party for a host who refuses to throw one.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
-
The journalist turns his attention to Oda Sotatsu, a man who has admitted to a string of disappearances but refuses to speak another word after surrendering to police.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grudges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudges. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
