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
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Recent Examples of grudges
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
As far as grudges go, this one runs dangerously deep.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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
As far as grudges go, this one runs dangerously deep.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grudges
Noun
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But as the years and resentments pile on, their cancerous brotherhood threatens to obliterate them both.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Lindsay-Abaire makes a real meal of sketching the rest of the neighborhood association, played by a bevy of nimble theatrical comedians, though their own simmering resentments tend to eddy alongside the central Kyra-Elliot conflict.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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For all their grievances with Didion’s fiction, the women’s lives bear a striking resemblance to Didion’s own.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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The motive remains unclear, though state media reported the man left documents behind at the courthouse outlining his grievances.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The play is dominated by Lithgow’s towering portrait of the artist as a weary old giant who refuses to concede an inch of ground.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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Others rely on patience, research, and the fact that the ground itself refuses to be reduced to one easy headline.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grudges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grudges. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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