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

His aggrieved sense of having been wronged, victimized by his enemies, is a constant in his career. —Rachel Hadas, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025

To start, the administration should hash out a common position with allies in Asia, Europe and the Gulf, as well as Israel — both to present Tehran with a united front and to prevent any aggrieved parties from playing spoiler. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2025

Later, a dinner with friends (presented almost entirely in closeups of Beibei) is set a-jangle with her account of that phone call—involving the aggrieved wife’s frightening threats and the colleague’s coerced yet false confessions. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2025

But then there’s Trump the aggrieved nationalist, who seems to want to get into conflicts with just about anybody, including allies. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 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

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