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.
For others the trigger is grievance, isolation or personal instability, which gradually hardens inside online echo chambers, where resentment circulates freely.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
There was no recalibration nor hint of strategic retreat, only chest-thumping and grievance.
From Salon • Feb. 25, 2026
The motive for the attack remains unclear, although local media reports suggest the suspect may have had a grievance with a teacher at the school.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
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 • Feb. 5, 2026
“First grievance, unauthorized use of sympathy. What is the proper discipline for this, Master Archivist?”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
