grievance

[ gree-vuhns ]
See synonyms for: grievancegrievances on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a wrong considered as grounds for complaint, or something believed to cause distress: Inequitable taxation is the chief grievance.

  2. a complaint, as against an unjust or unfair act: to have a grievance against someone.

  1. a feeling or belief that one has been wronged, oppressed, or is the victim of an injustice; resentment: The conflict on campus was described as the result of racial grievance or victim culture, depending on who reported it.

Origin of grievance

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English greva(u)nce, greva(u)ns “injury, offense, annoyance,” from Old French grevance “harm, injury, trouble, misfortune”; see origin at grieve, -ance

Other words for grievance

Other words from grievance

  • pre·griev·ance, noun

Words Nearby grievance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grievance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grievance

grievance

/ (ˈɡriːvəns) /


noun
  1. a real or imaginary wrong causing resentment and regarded as grounds for complaint

  2. a feeling of resentment or injustice at having been unfairly treated

  1. obsolete affliction or hardship

Origin of grievance

1
C15 grevance, from Old French, from grever to grieve 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with grievance

grievance

see air one's grievances.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.