1
: causing or characterized by severe pain, suffering, or sorrow
a grievous wound
a grievous loss
2
: oppressive, onerous
grievous costs of war
grievously
adverb
grievousness
noun
Examples of grievous in a Sentence
Adjective
the grievous cost of war
He took a foolish financial risk and suffered a grievous loss.
Recent Examples on the Web
Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Varley, a teacher, was also found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm; four counts of cruelty to a person under 16; ten counts of taking indecent images of a child; two counts of possessing indecent images of a child; and one count of distributing an indecent image of a child.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
The mass shooting that claimed 49 lives and injured dozens of others—the deadliest hate crime targeting LGBTQ+ people in American history—still leaves a grievous mark, most especially in a city, state and nation besieged with new attacks on the gay community.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
He was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
—ABC News, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grievous
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Here are some of the helpers who rose so fiercely to the grievous occasion.
—Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Varley, a teacher, was also found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm; four counts of cruelty to a person under 16; ten counts of taking indecent images of a child; two counts of possessing indecent images of a child; and one count of distributing an indecent image of a child.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
The mass shooting that claimed 49 lives and injured dozens of others—the deadliest hate crime targeting LGBTQ+ people in American history—still leaves a grievous mark, most especially in a city, state and nation besieged with new attacks on the gay community.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
He was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
—ABC News, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grievous
Cite this Entry
“Grievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grievous. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
