grievance

[ gree-vuhns ]

/ ˈgri vəns /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grievance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

Nearby words

griefo, grieg, griege, grierson, grieshoch, grievance, grievance committee, grievant, grieve, grievous, grievous bodily harm

Origin of grievance

1250–1300; Middle English greva(u)nce < Old French grevance. See grieve, -ance

SYNONYMS FOR grievance

1 affront, injustice, hurt, injury, distress.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grievance ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pre·griev·ance, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grievance

In early October, Health Republic allowed me to submit a “grievance claim” which I filed, along with a pile of backup documents.
My Insurance Company Killed Me, Despite Obamacare|Malcolm MacDougall|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We do our cause more harm than good if we get outrageously outraged over every slight and grievance.
RedState is Hiring Reporters|Justin Green|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When the grievance committee, led by a Copé associate, declared Copé the winner again, Fillon demanded a re-vote; Copé dug in.
France’s Petty Politics Brings Christmas Early to Scandal Lovers|Tracy McNicoll|December 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Since falling under Western colonial rule, the Muslim world has developed a narrative of grievance.
The Politics of Muslim Rage|Justin Green|October 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST

But the level of anti-American grievance Obama observed and deplored in 2008-2009 has not abated.
Muslims to Obama: No We Won't|David Frum|September 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Now, is it only a 'silly-season' cry, this grievance about no houses, or is it true?
The Brightener|C. N. Williamson
"It is my only grievance against you, Mrs. Nancy," Eve told the little shining lady.
Mistress Anne|Temple Bailey
Even twelve hours' work a day is better than a newspaper at four in the afternoon and a grievance for the rest of the evening.
Fantasia of the Unconscious|D. H. Lawrence
As the weary days of starvation and death wore on, nearly every member of the party developed a grievance.
Henry Hudson|Thomas A. Janvier
Some Germans seem to think so, and it behoves us, if we can, to find out what the German grievance is.
Britain at Bay|Spenser Wilkinson

British Dictionary definitions for grievance

grievance

/ (ˈɡriːvəns) /

noun

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

a feeling of resentment or injustice at having been unfairly treated

obsolete affliction or hardship

Word Origin for grievance

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

Idioms and Phrases with grievance

grievance

see air one's grievances.