a grudging smile vs a forced smile

Both 'a grudging smile' and 'a forced smile' are correct phrases, but they convey slightly different meanings. 'A grudging smile' implies a smile that is given reluctantly or unwillingly, while 'a forced smile' suggests a smile that is insincere or unnatural. The choice between the two depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 3117 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a smile that is given reluctantly or unwillingly.

"a grudging smile"

This phrase is used to describe a smile that is not freely given, but rather done with hesitation or reluctance.

Examples:

She managed a grudging smile as she accepted the award.
He offered a grudging smile in response to the compliment.

Show examples from the web [+]

The Council passed a grudging directive on long-term immigrants and one on family reunification.
It is a grudging package of too little, too late.
After the insurance company made a grudging payout to Mei, she shared it with her mother, who shared it with Emerson - Payment for a job well done.

Alternatives:

a reluctant smile
an unwilling smile
a half-hearted smile
a begrudging smile
a hesitant smile

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a smile that is insincere or unnatural.

"a forced smile"

This phrase is used to describe a smile that is not genuine, but rather put on as a facade or out of obligation.

Examples:

She greeted him with a forced smile.
He tried to hide his disappointment with a forced smile.

Show examples from the web [+]

I've never seen such a weird, forced smile.
Another called it a summit of impasse with a facade of forced smiles.
I care for you too much to subject you to an evening of forced smiles, Elena.
And when he was pipped to the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award last weekend, by Ryan Giggs, he won the 2009 trophy for the best forced smile,
And you, forced to smile and cater, bringing him his honeyed wine every evening.
And you, forced to smile and cater, bringing him his honeyed wine every evening.
So, for example, we smile when we feel happy, but also, when we're forced to smile by holding a pen in our teeth like this, it makes us feel happy.
We need a forced extraction, now.
This is crucial for the quality of a forced petiole.
I need your okay for a forced extraction.
Stalin put my grandmother in a forced labor camp for 20 years.
No sign of a forced entry.
Yes. We had a forced chamber explosion in the resonator coil.
About a forced labor scam run by the red circle triad.
Hutch still locked, no sign of a forced entry.
Get the men ready for a forced march.
A forced confession isn't binding.
Well, this march is a forced march to save our country.
This would appear to involve a forced transfer to prison.
I'd call that a forced entry.

Alternatives:

an insincere smile
a fake smile
a plastered smile
a phony smile
a contrived smile

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a grudging smile vs a forced smile

"a grudging smile"

"a forced smile"

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