grievance

American  

[gree-vuhns] / ˈgri vəns /

noun

• grievances
  plural

1. a wrong considered as grounds for complaint, or something believed to cause distress.

   Inequitable taxation is the chief grievance.

   Synonyms:

   distress, injury, hurt, injustice, affront

2. a complaint, as against an unjust or unfair act.

   to have a grievance against someone.

3. 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.

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grievance British  

/ 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

3. obsolete affliction or hardship

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grievance Idioms  

1. see air one's grievances.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pregrievance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grievances
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grievance

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

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Explanation

A grievance is a complaint. It can be formal, as when an employee files a grievance because of unsafe working conditions, or more of an emotional matter, like a grievance against an old friend who betrayed you. A grievance is a complaint that may or may not be justified. Often a grievance is a complaint about something that breaks a rule or a law, like a grievance filed against a person who builds a fence in his front yard in a town that does not allow that. If that same neighbor plants flowers he knows make you sneeze uncontrollably, you might be unhappy about that, but this is the kind of grievance you can work out among yourselves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grievance grievances

The grievance isn’t new: A London minister complained in 1624 that “youth were never more sawcie.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Should my friend file a grievance with the State Bar of Texas?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Despite raising concerns and using the employer's grievance process, her agreed working pattern was not permanently restored.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

That if you are loud enough, and your engine is big enough, and your grievance is hot enough, that is the same thing as being a man.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

He skipped some years or forgot or decided according to some personal accounting of grievance that the plantation was undeserving.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to reporters on Monday, said the pupils' grievances would take time to address and urged restraint from protesters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

President Emmanuel Macron told reporters during a visit to the Paris Motor Show that the pupils' grievances would take time to address and urged restraint from protesters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Diana’s brother aims to correct the record on the slights and grievances he feels he has suffered over the years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

And he promised that students' grievances would be taken into account in forthcoming discussions on the education section of the 2027 state budget.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Usually Mama had to go to his office with her grievances.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

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Related Words

• grief
• hardship
• injustice
• objection
• outrage
• resentment
• sorrow
• unhappiness

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