The words malignity and grudge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malignity implies deep passion and relentlessness. a life consumed by motiveless malignity.
What does hold a grudge mean? To hold a grudge is to have and maintain a feeling of anger, bitterness, or resentment toward someone for something they did, especially a wrong that you think they committed against you.
Well, research suggests the answer is yes — especially if you hold a grudge for an extended time. In one study, adults who held onto anger and hostility over the course of a decade experienced greater cognitive decline than those who were more apt to forgive.
Many people hold grudges, deep ones, that can last a lifetime. Many are unable to let go of the anger they feel towards those who “wronged” them in the past, even though they may have a strong desire and put in a concerted effort to do so.
Holding grudges can often mean holding anger and stress. A 2021 large-scale study analyzed the daily emotional responses of over 20,000 people and found that “intense high-arousal negative emotions” such as anger and stress were associated with higher blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) reactions.
“A toxic relationship may include grudges and other maladaptive or emotionally unhealthy dynamics between two people. Often, the relationship causes distress and perpetuates emotionally destructive patterns," Dorfman says.
Holding a grudge is when you harbor anger, bitterness, resentment, or other negative feelings long after someone has done something to hurt you.
If you allow negative feelings to crowd out positive feelings, you might find yourself swallowed up by bitterness or a sense of injustice. Some people are naturally more forgiving than others. But even if you tend to hold a grudge, almost anyone can learn to be more forgiving.
He writes, “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col. 3:13). Will God forgive you for holding a grudge? No—He will not.
Negatively affect your mental health: Holding a grudge may increase your chances of experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, according to 2019 research.
God evidently doesn't hold a grudge, since he tasked this former hunter of Christians with spreading the gospel. Sometimes we walk into church and pray, “Lord, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Then we head home, still bearing our grudges.
The anger, frustration, and sadness can take away your youth, thanks to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. An increase in cortisol has been shown to shorten telomeres, located on the tips of your DNA chromosomes and linked to biological aging.
Some common synonyms of grudge are ill will, malevolence, malice, malignity, spite, and spleen. While all these words mean "the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress," grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.
"Resentment is the feeling we have been wronged by someone else and holding a grudge is the belief that we will feel better when we have shown the other person how angry we are," Carrie Krawiec, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Troy, Michigan, told INSIDER. "If we can hurt them like they have hurt us."
Resentment describes a negative emotional reaction to being mistreated. There is no one cause of resentment, but most cases involve an underlying sense of being mistreated or wronged by another person. Experiencing frustration and disappointment is a normal part of life.
Here's one from the Collins English Dictionary: “A grudge is a persistent feeling of resentment, especially one due to some cause, such as an insult or injury.” Urban Dictionary defines a grudge as “a bad feeling or hate that you hold against another person for something bad they did, or you think they did to you.”
There are three types of anger which help shape how we react in a situation that makes us angry. These are: Passive Aggression, Open Aggression, and Assertive Anger.
Emotions that can Trigger
Because anger is easier to feel, it can distract you from experiencing and healing the pain you feel inside. Among the most triggering primary emotions is frustration. Frustration is often experienced when you are feeling helpless or out of control.
Why is it so easy to hold a grudge? Being hurt by someone, particularly someone you love and trust, can cause anger, sadness and confusion. If you dwell on hurtful events or situations, grudges filled with resentment and hostility can take root.
Harboring anger and resentment toward another person over real or perceived wrongs only hurts you, even when that person caused real or perceived harm. According to a 2021 analysis of 20 interviews, grudges may foster feelings of moral superiority and prove difficult to let go of.
He writes, “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col. 3:13). Will God forgive you for holding a grudge? No—He will not.
Some common synonyms of grudge are ill will, malevolence, malice, malignity, spite, and spleen. While all these words mean "the desire to see another experience pain, injury, or distress," grudge implies a harbored feeling of resentment or ill will that seeks satisfaction.