Grievous
/ˈɡriːvəs/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Grievous describes something that causes strong sorrow, pain, or trouble. It is used for serious problems, injuries, or losses that are hard to accept or deal with. The word shows a high level of sadness or harm.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Causing great pain or suffering (physical or emotional)
- •The accident caused grievous injuries to several people.
- •Losing her childhood home was a grievous loss for her.
- •The news of his death was a grievous blow to the family.
Very serious or severe in nature
- •The company faced grievous financial problems after the crisis.
- •Grievous errors in the report led to wrong decisions.
- •The country suffered grievous damage during the war.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "grievous" like "bad" but much stronger and more serious—like a very big problem or pain
- ✓Picture a heavy, dark cloud covering the sky after a sad event, making everything feel heavy and sad
- ✓It's the feeling when you hear very bad news, like losing something very important or someone you love
- ✓Sounds like "GREE-vus" → imagine a deep, slow sound like a heavy heart beating with sadness
- ✓Think of stories where a hero faces a grievous loss or injury that changes everything
- ✓NOT like "hurt" (which can be small or quick), grievous means deep and long-lasting pain or trouble
- ✓NOT like "minor" or "small" problems—grievous is very serious and hard to ignore
- ✓NOT like "sad" only about feelings—grievous can also mean serious physical injury or big trouble
Try Other Words
- •Severe: very bad or intense (Use when emphasizing the strength or intensity of a problem or injury)
- •Tragic: causing great sadness or disaster (Use when focusing more on emotional sadness or disaster)
- •Painful: causing physical or emotional pain (Use when focusing on the feeling of pain rather than seriousness)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix, root related to "grieve" meaning to feel sadness)
- •Etymology: from Old French "grievous," from "grief" meaning sorrow or pain
- •Historical development: used since Middle English to describe something causing sorrow or trouble
- •Modern usage: used mainly in formal or literary contexts to describe serious problems, injuries, or losses
- •Key insight: connected to the word "grieve," which means to feel deep sadness, so "grievous" describes things that make people grieve
Reflect & Connect
•Can something be grievous without causing sadness, only serious problems? How do you decide?
•How does understanding the word grievous help you describe difficult situations more clearly?
Fill in the blanks
1.The accident caused grievous ___ that required immediate hospital care.
2.Hearing the bad news was a grievous ___ for everyone involved.
3.Unlike small mistakes, grievous errors can ___ serious consequences for a company.
4.She felt grievous ___ after losing her pet, showing deep emotional pain.
5.Grievous problems often need ___ solutions and careful attention.
6.The team did not expect such grievous ___ after the game’s defeat.
7.When someone uses "grievous" to describe a situation, it usually means it is ___ and hard to ignore.