grudge

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ɡrʌdʒ/ UK /ɡrʌdʒ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a persistent feeling of resentment over a past wrong

She held a grudge against him for years after the insult.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a persistent feeling of... resentmentrancorgrievance bitterness spite malice animosityill will

Opposites

goodwill forgiveness amity

Word family

Derived forms grudging grudgingly

Related forms begrudge

Simplified etymology

Grudge, recorded in late Middle English, is a variant of the obsolete word grutch. It derives through grutch from Old French grouchier, “to grumble or murmur,” a word of unknown deeper origin; grouch belongs to the same group.

Etymology

From Middle English grucchen, gruggen ('to grumble, complain'), from Old French grouchier, groucier ('to murmur, grumble'), of uncertain (probably imitative) origin.

grouchier Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings

External links

# grudge

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɡrʌdʒ/
**IPA (UK):** /ɡrʌdʒ/

## Meanings
1. a persistent feeling of resentment over a past wrong

## Examples
- She held a grudge against him for years after the insult.

## Synonyms
- resentment
- rancor
- grievance
- bitterness
- spite
- malice
- animosity
- ill will

## Antonyms
- goodwill
- forgiveness
- amity

## Derived Forms
- grudging
- grudgingly

## Related Forms
- begrudge

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: grouchier

## Etymology
From Middle English grucchen, gruggen ('to grumble, complain'), from Old French grouchier, groucier ('to murmur, grumble'), of uncertain (probably imitative) origin.

## AI Etymology
Grudge comes from Middle English grucchen, gruggen ('to grumble, complain'), from Old French grouchier, groucier ('to murmur, grumble'), of uncertain (probably imitative) origin. The etymological trail includes Old French grouchier. As a noun, grudge names a persistent feeling of resentment over a past wrong. The same family is visible in derived forms such as grudging and grudgingly and related forms such as begrudge. The wording should be read with that uncertainty intact: the proposed connection is plausible rather than absolute.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings

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