grievance
Americannoun
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a wrong considered as grounds for complaint, or something believed to cause distress.
Inequitable taxation is the chief grievance.
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a complaint, as against an unjust or unfair act.
to have a grievance against someone.
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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.
noun
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a real or imaginary wrong causing resentment and regarded as grounds for complaint
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a feeling of resentment or injustice at having been unfairly treated
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obsolete affliction or hardship
Other Word Forms
- pregrievance noun
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”; grieve, -ance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The internal grievance investigation concluded that she had experienced harassment but found that it did not amount to unlawful discrimination.
From BBC
Local grievances over alleged human-rights violations and economic concerns have led some young, educated people, including women, to turn to militancy.
Brazil's Indigenous communities have raised the alarm for months about port expansion on rivers they see as vital to their way of life, a grievance they protested at COP30 climate talks last November.
From Barron's
On a series of punchy and immediate tracks, Mr. Lamar checks in on where his life is now, provides some personal history, airs a few grievances, and gets in a few digs at his peers.
The pending contract, according to a flier from the union, deals with issues such as AI protections, pay raises and “basic protections” like grievance procedures.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
