grievous

adjective

griev·​ous ˈgrē-vəs 

1

: causing or characterized by severe pain, suffering, or sorrow

a grievous wound

a grievous loss

2

: oppressive, onerous

grievous costs of war

3

: serious, grave

grievous fault

grievously adverb

grievousness noun

Synonyms

• bitter
• brutal
• burdensome
• cruel
• excruciating
• grim
• hard
• hardhanded
• harsh
• heavy
• inhuman
• murderous
• onerous
• oppressive
• rough
• rugged
• searing
• severe
• stiff
• tough
• trying

Examples of grievous in a Sentence

the grievous cost of war

He took a foolish financial risk and suffered a grievous loss.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just last month, a London court granted him bail following charges of grievous bodily harm related to an alleged 2023 nightclub incident involving music producer Abraham Diaw. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 11 June 2025

Using the tee fitting wasn’t his most grievous error. —Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025

But serious crashes also occur that take lives and cause grievous injuries, even when everyone is strapped in. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2025

The most grievous use of the act was by Franklin Roosevelt who used it to intern over 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II—without providing them with a hearing. —Richard Stengel, Time, 23 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grevous, greveus "oppressive, burdensome, injurious, severe (of sickness, wounds)," borrowed from Anglo-French grevous, grevus (continental Old French grevos), from gref "burden, hardship, grief" + -ous -ous

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

grievous

adjective

griev·​ous ˈgrē-vəs 

1

: heavy entry 1 sense 2, severe

the grievous cost of war

2

: causing pain, suffering, or sorrow

a grievous wound

3

: serious sense 4, grave

a grievous mistake

grievously adverb

grievousness noun