aggrieved

adjective

ag·​grieved ə-ˈgrēvd 

1

: troubled or distressed in spirit

2

a

: suffering from an infringement or denial of legal rights

aggrieved minority groups

b

: showing or expressing grief, injury, or offense

an aggrieved plea

aggrievedly

ə-ˈgrē-vəd-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• discontent
• discontented
• disgruntled
• displeased
• dissatisfied
• malcontent

Examples of aggrieved in a Sentence

He felt aggrieved by their refusal to meet with him.

The aggrieved party may cancel the contract.

Recent Examples on the Web

Showing up at Russia’s Embassy to the Holy See in an aggrieved response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. —Paul Elie, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025

That fear has only accelerated in the past day, since Mr. Trump began echoing Mr. Putin’s talking points, falsely accusing Ukraine of provoking the invasion of its own territory and casting Russia as the aggrieved party rather than the aggressor. —David E. Sanger, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

Lizzy Caplan is George’s aggrieved daughter, Alex, now a Congresswoman. —Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025

Especially watching Linklater—who’s giving by far the most compelling performance in the production—coming to gruff, aggrieved life by degrees. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English agreved "annoyed, resentful," from past participle of agreven "to aggrieve"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for aggrieved

• disbelieved
• interleaved
• misconceived
• preconceived
• undeceived
• unperceived
• unrelieved
• achieved
• believed
• bereaved
• conceived
• deceived

Kids Definition

aggrieved

adjective

ag·​grieved ə-ˈgrēvd 

1

: troubled or distressed in spirit

2

: having a cause for complaint

especially : suffering from injury or loss

Legal Definition

aggrieved

adjective

: having a grievance: as

a

: suffering from an infringement or denial of rights

b

: having interests adversely affected

aggrieved creditors