1
as in harsh
difficult to endure
the months of chemotherapy seemed almost as grievous an affliction as the cancer itself
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
the death of a spouse can be a grievous loss from which one never recovers
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3
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
a grievous wound that requires a doctor's immediate attention
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4
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the grievous cost of the war in human lives weighed heavily on the president's mind
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grievous
Opposing the legislation were Texas trial lawyers and a long line of Texans who had lost family members or suffered grievous injury in accidents on Texas’s increasingly dangerous roads.
—
Saul Elbein, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
Ramsey has been sentenced to serve eight years and six months at an institution for youth offenders, having pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
Our environment and health are being threatened, our democracy is at a grievous tipping point, our global allies are alarmed and our adversaries are grinning.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Both have become fully mobilized war nations, allowing Russia to bounce back from its initial failures and allowing Ukraine, a smaller country, to keep fighting on through grievous losses.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grievous
Saul Elbein, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
Ramsey has been sentenced to serve eight years and six months at an institution for youth offenders, having pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
Our environment and health are being threatened, our democracy is at a grievous tipping point, our global allies are alarmed and our adversaries are grinning.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Both have become fully mobilized war nations, allowing Russia to bounce back from its initial failures and allowing Ukraine, a smaller country, to keep fighting on through grievous losses.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grievous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grievous
Adjective
-
Hope reigns even in this harsh political climate we Americans are now experiencing.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
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Even if investors are slightly more confident this week, after Trump backed off most of his harshest tariff rates, the changes in people’s life-style habits serve as their own kind of affective barometer.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But amidst this painful reality, a story rooted in joy, agency, and radical self-determination is emerging.—
Stephanie Long,
Essence,
17 Apr. 2025
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This is especially painful for individuals who are approaching Medicare eligibility, as a conversion might result in substantially higher premiums for Medicare Part B and Part D prescription coverage.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Prioritising one competition in favour of another is a dangerous game to play in any case when the stakes are so high.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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The company highlights one type of attack that is now targeting users and which is especially dangerous.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident.—
Phil Boucher,
People.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Boca Bash drowning The 2018 Boca Bash turned tragic when 32-year-old Francis Roselin, of West Palm Beach, drowned.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Her viral speech in Minneapolis in 2020 remains one of the most searing indictments of state violence in recent memory.—
Sughnen Yongo,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Image ‘Eric LaRue’ Directed by Michael Shannon, this searing drama centers on Janice (Judy Greer), who struggles to cope after her son commits a school shooting.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration's deportation policy.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm.—
David Gruber,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Allowed to crumble into disrepair by its owners, the Meruelo family, the famous hotel was ordered demolished by the city as a hazardous structure.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
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Ranging from 0 to 500, the AQI is used to measure air pollution levels and to alert the public when pollutant levels may make the air hazardous to health.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Such a difficult call really spotlighted for the first time how tough a situation he has been left in by Eddie Howe’s unfortunate absence (due to pneumonia).—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
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In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grievous. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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