grievous

[gree-vuhs] / ˈgri vəs /

ADJECTIVE

severe, painful; serious

Synonyms

STRONGEST

appalling atrocious calamitous damaging deplorable dire dreadful egregious flagrant glaring heinous intolerable lamentable monstrous outrageous shameful shocking tragic unbearable

WEAK

afflicting agonizing dismal disquieting distressing disturbing grave harmful heart-rending heavy hurtful injurious mournful offensive onerous oppressive pathetic pitiful sad sharp sorrowful taxing tough troublesome upsetting villainous weighty wounding

Antonyms

STRONGEST

acceptable bearable blessed comforting concealed delightful favorable fortunate good happy hidden little lucky magnificent mild pleasing tolerable wonderful

WEAK

harmless pleasant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The remaining 4% are patients whose death was not imminent but had a "grievous and irremediable medical condition".

From BBC • May 15, 2026

And it delivers a blunt message, warning that this executive order would inflict a grievous, possibly lethal moral harm on the nation.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

If love is a complicated, beautiful and grievous thing, so is Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights.”

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026

Americans shouldn’t have to live any longer with such a possibility of grievous disturbance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

There were nights when Jon Snow wondered if he had not made a grievous mistake by preventing Stannis from marching all the wildlings off to be slaughtered.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Vocabulary lists containing grievous

The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6

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A Wrinkle in Time

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Antigone

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