What does grudge mean?
Grudge is a countable noun for a persistent feeling of resentment or ill will, especially toward someone who has offended or disadvantaged the speaker. It is commonly used with expressions such as holding, bearing, or having a grudge and carries a distinctly personal, often unforgiving tone. The related verb means to resent or begrudge someone else's possession, advantage, or opportunity, as in “I grudge his success.” As a noun, a grudge focuses on the speaker's continuing hostility rather than merely recording a formal complaint. The word can describe interpersonal rancor, family disputes, and resentment of another person's success. Because it implies that a perceived wrong remains emotionally alive, grudge has a more personal and enduring connotation than grievance. It is common in both British and American English, though the noun is much more frequent than the transitive verb. Historically, the word developed from an Old English verb associated with being angry and begrudging, reflecting the way resentment can harden into a durable grievance.
A lasting feeling of resentment or ill will, especially toward a person believed to have caused harm or unfairness; also, a complaint or grievance.
"Her years-old grudge against the man who had betrayed her had not faded."
Usually countable. It commonly appears with hold, bear, or have and may be followed by against when the person responsible is named.
To resent or begrudge someone something, especially an advantage, possession, or opportunity.
"He grudged his brother the praise he had received for the work."
Normally transitive, with a person as the indirect object and the resented advantage or outcome as the direct object. It is less common in everyday use than the noun.
The noun is countable and takes a plural in the standard form. Use an article or possessive when referring to one particular grudge.
"Old rivalries and family grudges made the competition especially tense."
A grudge is anger with a long memory.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does grudge come from?
The modern English word is recorded from Middle English, where it was associated with anger, resentment, and begrudging. It developed from the Old English verb grycca, meaning “to be angry” or “to begrudge,” and belongs to a family that also includes Old English grēot, “anger,” and the cognate Old Norse gryde, “to be angry.” English later established both the modern noun for a lasting resentment and the transitive verb meaning “to begrudge.”
Related word forms
How grudge is actually used
The noun is common in everyday, literary, and informal contexts and implies a degree of unforgiving personal hostility. The verb is less common and is normally transitive: one grudges a person something, or grudges a person the enjoyment of something. The expression is not regionally restricted in standard British or American English.