grievance

American  

[gree-vuhns] / ˈgri vəns /

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 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

---

grievance Idioms  

1. see air one's grievances.

---

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

Independent masters articulated grievances through “producerism”—the belief that labor created all value and merchants were parasites.

From The Wall Street Journal

It has been framed by some as a religious fight, but the central grievance is over grazing rights - access to land and water.

From BBC

All grievances not aired at Thanksgiving will find their way to Lincoln Financial Field.

From The Wall Street Journal

It isn’t not about identity, grievance or victimhood.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some stated grievances may have benign explanations, while others are troubling.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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