1
: causing or characterized by severe pain, suffering, or sorrow
a grievous wound
a grievous loss
2
: oppressive, onerous
grievous costs of war
grievously
adverb
grievousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of grievous in a Sentence
the grievous cost of war
He took a foolish financial risk and suffered a grievous loss.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hospitals treating the wounded are overwhelmed, aid agencies said, who also reported grievous crimes committed against civilians.
—
Nimi Princewill, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
Nevertheless, he was convicted of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent in 2022 and was serving an eight-year term.
—Selam Gebrekidan, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
This, despite the fact that in New York City, injuries to pedestrians from bicycles are vanishingly rare, while grievous injuries to both pedestrians and cyclists from cars are common.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
An unnamed 16-year-old boy received an 18-month supervision order after admitting to grievous bodily harm, and an unnamed 17-year-old girl will be sentenced at a later date after pleading guilty to robbery and possession of cannabis.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for grievous 
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Nimi Princewill, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
Nevertheless, he was convicted of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent in 2022 and was serving an eight-year term.
—Selam Gebrekidan, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
This, despite the fact that in New York City, injuries to pedestrians from bicycles are vanishingly rare, while grievous injuries to both pedestrians and cyclists from cars are common.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
An unnamed 16-year-old boy received an 18-month supervision order after admitting to grievous bodily harm, and an unnamed 17-year-old girl will be sentenced at a later date after pleading guilty to robbery and possession of cannabis.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for grievous
Dictionary Entries Near grievous
Cite this Entry
“Grievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grievous. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grievous
adjective
griev·ous
ˈgrē-vəs 
1
: heavy entry 1 sense 2, severe
the grievous cost of war
2
: causing pain, suffering, or sorrow
a grievous wound
3
: serious sense 4, grave
a grievous mistake
grievously
adverb
grievousness
noun
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