grievous
Americanadjective
-
causing grief or great sorrow.
grievous news.
- Synonyms:
- painful, sorrowful, sad, tragic, heartbreaking
- Antonyms:
- delightful
-
full of or expressing grief; sorrowful.
a grievous cry.
-
characterized by great pain or suffering; severe.
grievous bodily harm;
a grievous injury.
-
having serious effects; grave.
a grievous mistake;
grievous faults.
-
extremely or shockingly wicked, cruel, brutal, etc.; atrocious.
a grievous offense against morality;
grievous crimes.
-
to incur grievous expenses.
adjective
-
very severe or painful
a grievous injury
-
very serious; heinous
a grievous sin
-
showing or marked by grief
a grievous cry
-
causing great pain or suffering
a grievous attack
Other Word Forms
- grievously adverb
- grievousness noun
- nongrievous adjective
- nongrievousness noun
- overgrievous adjective
- overgrievousness noun
Etymology
Origin of grievous
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English grevous, from Old French grevo(u)s; grieve, -ous
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.
And it delivers a blunt message, warning that this executive order would inflict a grievous, possibly lethal moral harm on the nation.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026
Americans shouldn’t have to live any longer with such a possibility of grievous disturbance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
Aside from medical ailments, you may sense that long-ago unresolved issues — ruptured relationships, grievous losses, life-altering decisions — undermine your well-being in subtle but significant ways.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026
His co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, a 39-year-old American who performs under the name HoodyBaby, also entered a not guilty plea last month to the charge of attempted grievous bodily harm.
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025
McGarrity’s face fell into the old lines of grievous disappointment as he started his evening’s work.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
