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

An aggrieved adult daughter (Maria Dizzia) alludes to his history of prioritizing his work over his family, but that detail leads nowhere. —Judy Berman, TIME, 25 Oct. 2024

The night starts off lightheartedly enough with aggrieved vice-principal Mr. Pearson calling 9-1-1 to demand firefighters extinguish the bag of flaming dog poop on his porch. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2024

In California’s 2016 U.S. Senate race, Harris again met an opponent who toiled selflessly on her behalf—in this case, Representative Loretta Sanchez, who capped a shrill and aggrieved debate performance by dabbing after her closing statement. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2024

Hardy recalled the importance of calamansi growing up in Manila; when the children were sick, her mother’s memorable home remedy was a half-calamansi squeezed straight into the aggrieved throat. —Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Oct. 2024

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

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