aggrieve

Definition of aggrievenext

Synonym Chooser

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 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 Amazon prohibits class action lawsuits in which aggrieved sellers can aggregate their claims and have their case decided by a judge or a jury. Sandeep Vaheesan, The New Republic, 28 Feb. 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
  • Demi herself looks perturbed but moves on quickly.
    Rachel Handler, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
  • But on the other hand, Amir and Jahan do, in fact, act strangely enough — including walking around at night, and humming in cartoonishly sinister ways — that even the most rational and accepting observers would be rightly perturbed.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The centuries-old pot-kettle idiom points out hypocrisy — as when one person accuses another of a flaw that afflicts himself.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
  • The disease afflicted homosexuals, Haitians, haemophiliacs and heroin addicts.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Her images of ice blocks, lush fabrics, cherries, sea animals, and charred hearts are disquieting in the best way and well worth trekking to Santa Monica to witness in person.
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
  • To say that Nicholas did not share his father’s politics is an understatement, but much of his bibliography can be seen as a reckoning with his father’s unsettling career in politics and disquieting legacy.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In Thomas Bernhard’s The Loser, Wertheimer, tormented by encountering a genius in the form of fellow piano student Glenn Gould, gives up his dreams of performing and moves in with his sister.
    Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Cuba’s economy, already hollowed out by mismanagement, communist economic ideology, sanctions, and the end of subsidized oil from Venezuela, is now tormented by island-wide blackouts and food shortages.
    Sarah Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • In a third discomposing show of baseball in as many days, the Brewers fell, 8-6, to the lowly A's, who looked like anything but in an emphatic weekend-long dismantling of a team that entered in first place.
    Journal Sentinel, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2023
Verb
  • Old men send young boys to fight and risk maiming or death for the rest of us.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Recently, when Gonzalez maimed three fingers in a firework accident and spent weeks in the hospital, his neighbors house-sat and guarded his belongings.
    Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The second came when UConn stunned Duke on that last-second 3-point shot to upset the Blue Devils in the Elite Eight.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
  • And the regulation shift is sure to upset certain people.
    Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Mark, who has seen his wife tortured by TV writers (or at least one in particular), doesn’t think Val owes writers anything.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
  • In response, the regime killed dozens, and arrested and tortured many more.
    Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Aggrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggrieve. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

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