GRIEVOUS Synonyms: 221 Similar and Opposite Words

grievous

adjective

ˈgrē-vəs

Definition of grievous

as in harsh

difficult to endure the months of chemotherapy seemed almost as grievous an affliction as the cancer itself

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in painful

hard to accept or bear especially emotionally the death of a spouse can be a grievous loss from which one never recovers

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as in dangerous

involving potential loss or injury a grievous wound that requires a doctor's immediate attention

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as in tragic

of a kind to cause great distress the grievous cost of the war in human lives weighed heavily on the president's mind

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grievous In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon. — CNN Money, 24 July 2026 The singer was arrested in May 2025 and charged with assault, suspicion of grievous bodily harm, and possession of an offensive weapon (a tequila bottle). — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2026 The pair had been charged with more serious offenses of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and a less serious charge of assault causing actual bodily harm, which the pair had denied and were due to go to trial in October. — Sam Tobin, USA Today, 24 July 2026 During his arraignment a month later, Brown pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for grievous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grievous

Adjective

Scott London Every year, Black Rock City appears on a dry lakebed in one of Nevada’s harshest areas, then disappears just as fast.

— Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Hig has bunkered down with a grouchy companion, Bangley (Josh Brolin), who thrives in this harsh world.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of harsh

Adjective

The desert’s location on the southern border has led to many migrants attempting to cross it by using dangerous backcountry routes, the experts said.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Rather, this is a dangerous, shape-shifting synthetic entity that ravaged their entire planet.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of dangerous

Adjective

That's the common denominator, to be quite honest, between the success stories and the tragic stories.

— Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Even Treadwell, who spend thirteen summers in Alaska compiling some 100 hours of bear footage, wasn’t even remotely prepared for his encounters, evidenced by his tragic death at the hands of one of his beloved grizzlies.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of tragic

Adjective

Even with no rate increase, though, Tulsa electric bills would be spiking this year because of searing summer heat, with more than twice the average number of triple-digit days.

— Scott Horsley, NPR, 26 Aug. 2026
Clock hands circle predictably and calendar pages turn on schedule, but internally, within our bodies, minds and hearts, time is a whole different thing — discontinuous, wondrous, searing.

— Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of searing

Adjective

Success can feel like a cruel tease, fleetingly unattainable and yet when finally achieved, too dangerous to enjoy too long.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Materials engineered to respond predictably to light could potentially form part of highly sensitive sensing technologies designed to provide earlier warning of hazardous substances.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
So the important question is what does your policy consider hazardous and what conditions apply to that exclusion.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of hazardous

Adjective

Hall was excellent for Newcastle against Liverpool in the clubs’ season opener on Sunday, and unfortunate to concede a stoppage-time penalty for the equaliser.

— Andy Naylor, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
People have an unfortunate tendency to make this song sound dour, but Garcia fills it with energy.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026