grievance

noun griev·ance \ ˈgrē-vən(t)s \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: grievance in a Sentence

Definition of grievance

1 obsolete : suffering, distress

2 : a cause of distress (such as an unsatisfactory working condition) felt to afford reason for complaint or resistance

Her chief grievance was the sexual harassment by her boss.

3 : the formal expression of a grievance : complaint

filed a grievance against her employer

See grievance defined for English-language learners

See grievance defined for kids

Examples of grievance in a Sentence

He has a deep sense of grievance against his former employer.
She has been nursing a grievance all week.
In the petition, the students listed their many grievances against the university administration.
Several customers came to the front desk to air their grievances.

Recent Examples of grievance from the Web

The Russian president typically fields questions about foreign policy and addresses grievances about domestic issues.

— elena holodny /, NBC News, "Vladimir Putin to host his annual call-in show," 7 June 2018
Since his inauguration, the Prime Minister has toured the country, listening to the people's grievances.

— awol k. allo, CNN, "Ethiopia's new Prime Minister has had a stellar two months, can he keep it up?," 7 June 2018
Aguas said that the school board, with the help of the law firm and under the direction of Barker, began revising in late 2017 a new insubordination policy and a new policy for staff grievances.

— christina lords, idahostatesman, "Embattled school board under investigation for claims it broke open meeting law," 6 June 2018
Ryan was careful Wednesday not to disparage all of Nunes's complaints with the Justice Department, a list of grievances that includes several unfulfilled demands for documents unrelated to the spying accusations.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Paul Ryan says no proof FBI spied on Trump campaign," 6 June 2018
Both Reid and Kaepernick have filed grievances against the NFL and remain unsigned since their contracts with the 49ers expired.

— CBS News, ""So many lies": Eagles player fact checks Trump after White House invite is nixed," 5 June 2018
That is because for purposes of a labor grievance in the NFL, Trump is merely a third party (albeit perhaps the most influential third party on Earth).

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Why White House Rescinding Invitation to Eagles Could Boost Colin Kaepernick’s Collusion Case," 4 June 2018
But a grievance by the teachers’ and principals’ unions put a halt to those plans, and Ms. Elvin was left with the existing staff.

— New York Times, "A New Principal Pushes for Change. Then the Investigations Start.," 3 June 2018
Since being selected two months ago by the ruling party to take over from his predecessor, who resigned in February, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has freed thousands of prisoners and toured the country listening to people’s grievances.

— paul schemm, Washington Post, "Ethiopia moves to lift state of emergency two months early as tensions ease," 2 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grievance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of grievance

see grieve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

grievance Synonyms

Synonyms

beef, bleat, carp, complaint, fuss, gripe, grouch, grouse, grumble, holler, lament, moan, murmur, plaint, squawk, wail, whimper, whine, yammer;

Near Antonyms

commendation, compliment, plaudit;

acclaim, applause, praise;

approval, endorsement (also indorsement), sanction;

Synonym Discussion of grievance

injustice, injury, wrong, grievance mean an act that inflicts undeserved hurt. injustice applies to any act that involves unfairness to another or violation of one's rights.

- the injustices suffered by the lower classes

injury applies in law specifically to an injustice for which one may sue to recover compensation.

- libel constitutes a legal injury

wrong applies also in law to any act punishable according to the criminal code; it may apply more generally to any flagrant injustice.

- determined to right society's wrongs

grievance applies to a circumstance or condition that constitutes an injustice to the sufferer and gives just ground for complaint.

- a list of employee grievances

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

GRIEVANCE Defined for English Language Learners

grievance

noun

Definition of grievance for English Language Learners

: a feeling of having been treated unfairly
: a reason for complaining or being unhappy with a situation
: a statement in which you say you are unhappy or not satisfied with something

GRIEVANCE Defined for Kids

grievance

noun griev·ance \ ˈgrē-vəns \

Definition of grievance for Students

: a reason for complaining

Law Dictionary

grievance

noun griev·ance \ ˈgrē-vəns \

legal Definition of grievance

1 : a cause of distress (as an unsatisfactory working condition or unfair labor practice) felt to afford a reason for complaint or dispute; especially : a violation of a collective bargaining agreement usually by the employer

2 : the formal expression of a grievance brought especially by an employee as the initial step toward resolution through a grievance procedure — see also arbitration, grievance arbitration at arbitration, mediation