grievous

adjective

griev·ous | \ ˈgrē-vəs

Definition of grievous

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

Other Words from grievous Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about grievous

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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

But after suffering an even more grievous loss than usual, Hollis (Quincy Tyler Bernstine) begins to question God — and also His dialogue. — Jesse Green, New York Times, "Review: ‘The Amateurs’ Takes On God, Noah’s Ark and the Plague. For Laughs.," 27 Feb. 2018 For years, legions of Glenn Close fans have been waiting for the Academy to rectify this grievous oversight. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Glenn Close Had the Sweetest Reaction to Her Oscar Nomination for Her Role in The Wife," 22 Jan. 2019 Their paper of record is challenging its readers to come up with insults most grievous in 10 words or less. — Mike Newall, Philly.com, "From one outsider to another, Minnesota: This battle of insults is one you won't win," 18 Jan. 2018 Those who oppose him suffer grievous injury or death. — Tom Nolan, WSJ, "Mysteries: Taking a Journey Into the Past," 13 Sep. 2018 Lutherans like Bach certainly would have condemned as a grievous sin of idolatry any notion that the essence of a piece of music is, or turns into, the essence of God. — Michael Marissen, New York Times, "Bach Was Far More Religious Than You Might Think," 30 Mar. 2018 The man, 39, who wasn’t identified, and five others were charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm after the substance was thrown on the child inside a Home Bargains store in July. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, "Father of 3-year-old UK boy charged in apparent acid attack, due in court with 5 other suspects," 28 Aug. 2018 Still another cut into his lower back leaving a deep, grievous wound. — Nick Turse, Teen Vogue, "The Democratic Republic of Congo Has Humanitarian Crises Leaving Millions of Children In Danger," 14 Nov. 2018 The 13-page document aims to identify for Mueller what the lawyers believe are grievous errors both in how Comey handled the Clinton investigation and in his early, and limited, encounters with the president. — CBS News, "Report: Trump's lawyers blast Comey as "Machiavellian" in memo to Mueller," 7 July 2018

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