AGGRIEVE Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'aggrieve' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of aggrieve are oppress , persecute , and wrong . While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights. // a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

Q: When can 'oppress' be used instead of 'aggrieve'?

While in some cases nearly identical to aggrieve , oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform. // a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

Q: In what contexts can 'persecute' take the place of 'aggrieve'?

Although the words persecute and aggrieve have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering. // a child persecuted by constant criticism

Q: Where would 'wrong' be a reasonable alternative to 'aggrieve'?

The words wrong and aggrieve can be used in similar contexts, but wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves. // a penal system that had wronged him

aggrieve

verb

Definition of aggrieve

as in to perturb

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as in to afflict

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How does the verb aggrieve differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of aggrieve are oppress, persecute, and wrong. While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

When can oppress be used instead of aggrieve?

While in some cases nearly identical to aggrieve, oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

In what contexts can persecute take the place of aggrieve?

Although the words persecute and aggrieve have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

Where would wrong be a reasonable alternative to aggrieve?

The words wrong and aggrieve can be used in similar contexts, but wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of aggrieve Now, rather than view North Korea as an unruly, angry neighbor, China has welcomed it, along with Russia and Iran, as part of what White House officials call a coalition of the aggrieved. — Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2023 British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a chemicals magnate and an avid outdoorsman, was aggrieved when Land Rover replaced its rugged and rudimentary old Defender with a design that shares its engineering principles with current passenger cars. — Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2023 He was aggrieved when Hitler, in an attempt to make the National Socialists more palatable to the middle class, opposed the Rural People’s Movement, a popular anti-Weimar tax revolt, which was commendably trying to blow up buildings in Berlin. — Thomas Meaney, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2023 Foreigners who aggrieve the Chinese Communist Party seriously enough typically get banned from the country. — Tiffany Ap, Quartz, 4 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for aggrieve

Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggrieve

Verb

Not only does Mehta deliver a stunning debut performance, as a young girl perturbed by the world and her place within it, but the film’s sinister, shadowy tone makes even natural spaces feel imposing.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
These objects are thought to have wandered in from the Kuiper Belt beyond Pluto, their paths perhaps perturbed by distant gravitational interactions with the gas giant planets, or even a nudge from a passing star.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of perturb

Verb

Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Engineers have also taken steps to ensure that a CFT-like thruster anomaly doesn't afflict future Starliner flights.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

Concurrently, the duo was seeing a growth of comic conventions, but a disquieting sidelining of artists at the same time.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
The light is always ‘slanted,’ casting the novel’s gnomic creations in disquieting atmospherics.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026

Definition of disquiet

Verb

Doctors in Aleppo later reported a pattern of regime snipers shooting to maim civilians, rather than to kill them—partly to maximize suffering, partly to invite rescue attempts.

— Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Through its stance, the NHL bears a share of responsibility for the people killed and maimed in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

— Dominik Hasek, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of maim

Verb

The Cubs were upset again by the Marlins in the 2020 wild-card series, losing the series in a two-game sweep.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Many of those wins have been agonizing for the Bears to endure like when TCU upset a top-10 Baylor squad in 2021 or when the Horned Frogs scored a walk-off field goal the very next season in Waco to keep their undefeated season alive.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of upset

Verb

Hundreds of thousands of women were tried, tortured, and executed for witchcraft in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
According to Bilal and his brother Judy, neither Ahmed nor anyone else in his family had ever been arrested or tortured by the regime.

— Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of torture

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“Aggrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggrieve. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of aggrieve

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