ENGLISH
REFERENCE

grudge

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɡɹədʒ// UK //ɡɹˈʌdʒ// grudge Archaic

n. a strong feeling of anger or dislike toward someone that you keep for a long time because they did something to hurt you.

n. a persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury.


SIMPLE

He still holds a grudge against me for that mistake.

CONTEXTUAL

She refused to attend the wedding because she was still nursing a grudge over a decade-old argument.

COMPLEX

While some team members moved past the initial disagreement, others harbored a deep-seated grudge that eventually poisoned the office culture and stalled the entire project.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Commonly used with the verbs 'hold', 'bear', 'harbor', or 'nurse'.

Pitfall

He has a grudge for meHe has a grudge against meThe noun 'grudge' typically takes the preposition 'against' to indicate the person who is the target of the resentment.

Idioms1 entry

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