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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for aggrieve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggrieve
Verb
  • Lobo appeared perturbed that the shop’s owner brought the claim to the Clark County District Attorney instead of filing a civil suit.
    Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
  • Trump’s executive order perturbed many in the architecture profession when it was issued last year.
    Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 8 June 2026
  • Joyce said problems that afflict Washington require a deeper, more systematic change.
    Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • In a powerful and disquieting GQ profile, the band and some immediate friends and family unraveled the struggles that have plagued their lucrative but life-altering reunion, a kind of cautionary tale for leveling up after settling down.
    Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
  • The author calculated the shock wave’s energy that would be deposited in a human body by using physics similar to that of a bullet impact, which, though disquieting to say the least, is not a bad assumption from a scientific standpoint.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In recent years, Trae Young has repeatedly tormented the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden, turning clutch shots and postgame showmanship into vulgar chants from New York fans.
    Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
  • The result is borderline Succession-esque in its level of absurdity, and D’Arcy, so reliably tormented, gets to show sides of the character that have never even been hinted at before.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 June 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
  • The teenager was arrested for 12 counts of willful/malicious kill/maim/torture animal -- horse and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000, authorities said.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 4 June 2026
  • She was booked on a dozen counts of willful/malicious kill/maim/torture animal, horse, and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000, police said in a press release.
    Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • All eyes are on whether everyone’s second-favorite team can upset the odds.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
  • In football, the Jets with Joe Namath upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Harris welcomed her endorsement by Dick Cheney, who was not a very popular vice president but was a zealous defender of torturing Muslims.
    Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
  • Last year, a German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland on Monday for killing two people and torturing nine in Syria between 2011 and 2012.
    ABC News, ABC News, 15 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Aggrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggrieve. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.

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