Standard Lemma guide

grudge

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌdʒ
  • CMU ARPABET: G R AH1 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • to have, hold, owe or bear a grudge against someone

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To be unwilling to give or allow (someone something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To grumble, complain; to be dissatisfied.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To hold or harbour with malicious disposition or purpose; to cherish enviously.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • holding a grudge
  • settling a score

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: score, grievance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: resentment, bitterness, gall, rancor, rancour

6

verb

Meaning 6

accept or admit unwillingly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

bear a grudge; harbor ill feelings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stew

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: resent

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Germanicder. Old French grouchier, groucierder. Middle English grucchen English grutchder. English grudge A variant of grutch (mid 15th-century, younger than begrudge), from Middle English grucchen (“to murmur, complain, feel envy, begrudge”), from Old French grouchier, groucier (“to murmur, grumble”), of Germanic origin, probably ultimately imitative. Akin to Middle High German grogezen (“to howl, wail”), German grocken (“to croak”). Compare also Old Norse krytja (“to murmur”), Old High German grunzen (“to grunt”).

Across languages

Translations

101 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: mëllë — deep seated animosity
  • Arabic: بُغْض (buḡḍ) — deep seated animosity
  • Arabic: ضَغِينَة (ḍaḡīna) — deep seated animosity
  • Bashkir: үпкә (üpkə) — deep seated animosity
  • Bulgarian: недоволство (nedovolstvo) — deep seated animosity
  • Bulgarian: неприязън (neprijazǎn) — deep seated animosity
  • Burmese: အာဃာတ (aghata.) — deep seated animosity
  • Catalan: rancor — deep seated animosity
  • Catalan: rancúnia — deep seated animosity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 怨恨 (yuànhèn) — deep seated animosity
  • Czech: zášť — deep seated animosity
  • Czech: nevraživost — deep seated animosity
  • Czech: averze — deep seated animosity
  • Danish: nag — deep seated animosity
  • Danish: uvilje — deep seated animosity
  • Dutch: rancune — deep seated animosity
  • Dutch: wrok — deep seated animosity
  • Estonian: vimm — deep seated animosity
  • Finnish: kauna — deep seated animosity
  • Finnish: närä — deep seated animosity
  • French: rancune — deep seated animosity
  • Galician: xenreira — deep seated animosity
  • Galician: rancor — deep seated animosity
  • German: Groll — deep seated animosity
  • German: Neid — deep seated animosity
  • Greek: μνησικακία (mnisikakía) — deep seated animosity
  • Greek: άχτι (áchti) — deep seated animosity
  • Greek: μανιάτικο (maniátiko) — deep seated animosity
  • Ancient Greek: κότος (kótos) — deep seated animosity
  • Hiligaynon: kadúmut — deep seated animosity
  • Hiligaynon: kahíkaw — deep seated animosity
  • Hindi: डाह (ḍāh) — deep seated animosity
  • Hungarian: neheztelés — deep seated animosity
  • Hungarian: harag — deep seated animosity
  • Hungarian: ellenérzés — deep seated animosity
  • Hungarian: ellenszenv — deep seated animosity
  • Irish: olc — deep seated animosity
  • Irish: fala — deep seated animosity
  • Italian: rancore — deep seated animosity
  • Italian: risentimento — deep seated animosity
  • Italian: astio — deep seated animosity
  • Japanese: 恨み (urami) — deep seated animosity
  • Japanese: 怨 (en) — deep seated animosity
  • Ladino: garez — deep seated animosity
  • Ladino: rankor — deep seated animosity
  • Lithuanian: pagieža — deep seated animosity
  • Macedonian: го́рчина (górčina) — deep seated animosity
  • Macedonian: ого́рченост (ogórčenost) — deep seated animosity
  • Macedonian: зло́ба (zlóba) — deep seated animosity
  • Macedonian: неприја́телство (neprijátelstvo) — deep seated animosity
  • Macedonian: лу́тина (lútina) — deep seated animosity
  • Malay: dendam — deep seated animosity
  • Māori: ahikauri — deep seated animosity
  • Māori: ngaukino — deep seated animosity
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nag — deep seated animosity
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: nag — deep seated animosity
  • Old English: æfþanc — deep seated animosity
  • Polish: uraza — deep seated animosity
  • Portuguese: rancor — deep seated animosity
  • Portuguese: ressentimento — deep seated animosity
  • Quechua: chiqniy — deep seated animosity
  • Romanian: pică — deep seated animosity
  • Romanian: pizmă — deep seated animosity
  • Romanian: ranchiună — deep seated animosity
  • Russian: неприя́знь (neprijáznʹ) — deep seated animosity
  • Russian: оби́да (obída) — deep seated animosity
  • Russian: зло́ба (zlóba) — deep seated animosity
  • Sanskrit: असूया (asūyā) — deep seated animosity
  • Serbo-Croatian: kivnost — deep seated animosity
  • Serbo-Croatian: resentiman — deep seated animosity
  • Serbo-Croatian: kivnja — deep seated animosity
  • Spanish: rencor — deep seated animosity
  • Spanish: manía — deep seated animosity
  • Spanish: ojeriza — deep seated animosity
  • Swedish: agg — deep seated animosity
  • Tagalog: hinanakit — deep seated animosity
  • Telugu: పగ (paga) — deep seated animosity
  • Turkish: kin — deep seated animosity
  • Turkish: hınç — deep seated animosity
  • Turkish: garez — deep seated animosity
  • Welsh: cenfigen — deep seated animosity
  • Welsh: gwenwyn — deep seated animosity
  • Yiddish: פֿאַריבל (faribl) — deep seated animosity
  • Bulgarian: свиди ми се (svidi mi se) — to be unwilling to give
  • Catalan: recar — to be unwilling to give
  • Czech: zdráhat — to be unwilling to give
  • Danish: ikke unde — to be unwilling to give
  • Danish: misunde — to be unwilling to give
  • Dutch: misgunnen — to be unwilling to give
  • Dutch: weigeren — to be unwilling to give
  • German: missgönnen — to be unwilling to give
  • Ancient Greek: μεγαίρω (megaírō) — to be unwilling to give
  • Hungarian: sajnál — to be unwilling to give
  • Hungarian: vonakodik — to be unwilling to give
  • Hungarian: irigyel — to be unwilling to give
  • Macedonian: жа́ли (žáli) — to be unwilling to give
  • Macedonian: со́жали (sóžali) — to be unwilling to give
  • Māori: hākere — to be unwilling to give
  • Russian: жале́ть (žalétʹ) — to be unwilling to give
  • Russian: жа́дничать (žádničatʹ) — to be unwilling to give
  • Spanish: diñar de mala gana — to be unwilling to give
Real reading context

grudge in complete knowledge articles