aggrieve

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
  • The collision would trigger fusion, perturbing a magnetic field, which in turn produces power.
    Harry Booth, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
  • For example, obesity induces chronic fat inflammation, which subsequently leads to systemic inflammation and perturbs the normal systemic metabolism.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Domestic violence is a painful reality afflicting too many households in this country, which makes the words and actions of the current administration so egregious and hurtful.
    Gwen Moore, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.
    Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As a consequence, the president has given fresh impetus to a story that has disquieted even parts of his base.
    Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
  • In fact, the energy is disquieting and distracting to you.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Florida had a shot at a program-defining win against the rival that tormented it the most.
    Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025
  • In her exhaustive chronicle, Jennings traces the long folkloric history of monk-tormenting demons.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
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
  • Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and maimed in the war; a United Nations commission said in September that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
    Matt Bradley, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2025
  • By holding a button, a simple katana suddenly becomes a 10-foot blade, or a rapier sprouts a demolition-grade power drill — all capable of viscerally dismembering and maiming foes.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The election results on Tuesday are sure to be closely watched for signs of which party is better positioned for next year’s midterm elections, which could upset the balance of power on Capitol Hill.
    Brian Bennett, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
  • In 2007, his Stanford team upset Pete Carroll’s undefeated USC as a 41-point underdog, ending the Trojans’ 35-game homefield winning streak in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.
    Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Aggrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggrieve. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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