aggrieve

verb

ag·​grieve ə-ˈgrēv 

aggrieved; aggrieving

transitive verb

1

: to give pain or trouble to : distress

2

: to inflict injury on

Choose the Right Synonym for aggrieve

wrong, oppress, persecute, aggrieve mean to injure unjustly or outrageously.

wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

Examples of aggrieve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In pursuing those claims, the aggrieved generally try to prove a resort demonstrated gross negligence by contributing in some significant way to their mishap. —Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2026

If Kennedy is the face of the movement, Bigtree is more like its id—loud, unfiltered, and theatrically aggrieved. —Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026

And my colleagues do not seem to be aggrieved about this. —Tara Suter, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026

For those of us who love to be aggrieved, just as much enjoyment can be found in rooting against a certain film. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English agreven "to affect adversely, disturb, distress," borrowed from Anglo-French agrever "to make burdensome, worsen," going back to Latin aggravāre "to weigh down, burden, make worse" — more at aggravate

Note: The vowel -e- in agrever shows influence of grever "to grieve."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for aggrieve

• achieve
• believe
• conceive
• deceive
• naive
• perceive
• receive
• relieve
• reprieve
• retrieve
• breve
• cleave

Legal Definition

aggrieve

transitive verb

ag·​grieve ə-ˈgrēv 

aggrieved; aggrieving

: to inflict injury on: as

a

: to adversely affect the interests of

was not the party aggrieved by the exemption

b

: to infringe or deny the rights of

a person aggrieved by an unlawful search and seizure

—Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 41(g)