Begrudged

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To feel unwillingness or resentment when recognizing another's gain
2. To show reluctance or displeasure in granting or allowing something to others
3. To harbor ill feelings when someone else receives or attains something desirable

Etymology: "Begrudged" is the past tense and past participle of "begrudge," so the story belongs to the verb. Its root is "grudge," which came into English from Old French "grucier," meaning to complain or grumble. The prefix "be-" in Middle English meant "at, about, over," so "bigrucchen" literally meant to grumble at someone or something. The original sense was about voicing complaint rather than quietly resenting another person's good fortune. The shift from open grumbling to inner resentment happened gradually over the centuries that followed. Grudging the success or possessions of others came to mean feeling unwilling about giving or allowing them, and that is the sense the verb carries today. Begrudge is also related to "begrouch," a sibling formed on the same pattern, which shows how English speakers once readily attached "be-" to words of complaint.

Synonyms: resented, envied, disapproved, grudged, held back

Antonyms: approved, granted, bestowed, welcomed, allowed