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
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
Opposing the legislation were Texas trial lawyers and a long line of Texans who had lost family members or suffered grievous injury in accidents on Texas’s increasingly dangerous roads.
—
Saul Elbein, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
Ramsey has been sentenced to serve eight years and six months at an institution for youth offenders, having pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
Our environment and health are being threatened, our democracy is at a grievous tipping point, our global allies are alarmed and our adversaries are grinning.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Both have become fully mobilized war nations, allowing Russia to bounce back from its initial failures and allowing Ukraine, a smaller country, to keep fighting on through grievous losses.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grievous
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Saul Elbein, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
Ramsey has been sentenced to serve eight years and six months at an institution for youth offenders, having pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
—Abby Monteil, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
Our environment and health are being threatened, our democracy is at a grievous tipping point, our global allies are alarmed and our adversaries are grinning.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Both have become fully mobilized war nations, allowing Russia to bounce back from its initial failures and allowing Ukraine, a smaller country, to keep fighting on through grievous losses.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grievous
Cite this Entry
“Grievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grievous. Accessed 20 Apr. 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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