grievous

adjective

griev·​ous ˈgrē-vəs How to pronounce grievous (audio)
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

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
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.
Brown was arrested in May at a Manchester hotel and was charged with the count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, as well as assault causing actual bodily harm and carrying an offensive weapon. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025 The idea that residents should trust a city coming off 30 years of grievous management errors to handle this task well is hard to believe. U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025 Chris Brown entered a not guilty plea in his grievous bodily harm case this morning at a court in London. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 20 June 2025 Alison is so committed to her ideals that even acting them out feels like a grievous compromise; better to keep them on the wall, like the giant taxidermied moose head that quietly rolls its eyes as Alison thumbs glumly through Capital. Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for grievous

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of grievous was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grievous. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

grievous

adjective
griev·​ous ˈgrē-vəs How to pronounce grievous (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on grievous

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