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
the grievous cost of war
He took a foolish financial risk and suffered a grievous loss.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Grievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grievous. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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
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