A grease with improved water resistance is based on a combination of a polyamide thixotrope with a water insoluble thickener, preferably a lithium soap/complex thickener and an antioxidant/corrosion inhibitor/antiwear additive package. The improvement is maintained when highly effective or aggressive rust inhibitors which normally tend to degrade water wash out resistance are present in the grease. Another advantage is that resistance to fretting is significantly improved to the extent that the greases containing these components are capable of achieving a high level of resistance to false brinelling. The greases are particularly useful for application in wind turbine bearings.