grievance

[gree-vuhns]

noun

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.

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

3. obsolete,  affliction or hardship

Other Word Forms

• pregrievance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grievance¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of grievance¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see air one's grievances.

Example Sentences

The electoral code requires that any grievances must be submitted to the council "within a maximum of 72 hours from the election's closing date", even before results are counted.

Read more on Barron's

Politicians are using airports as the backdrop for news conferences to air their grievances about the funding debate.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Charter flights are the surest way to keep CEOs safe from people who might act on their grievances.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When it arrives, will we put aside politics, identity and grievances to stand shoulder to shoulder?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

People are used to channeling their grievances through the ballot box, not by marching into the prime minister’s home.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• grief 
• hardship 
• injustice 
• objection 
• outrage 
• resentment 
• sorrow 
• unhappiness www.thesaurus.com