adjective
- Causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm.
- usage: "a dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a life-threatening disease"
- synonyms: dangerous, grave, serious, severe, life-threatening
- Causing or marked by grief or anguish.
- usage: "a grievous loss"; "a grievous cry"; "her sigh was heartbreaking"; "the heartrending words of Rabin's granddaughter"
- synonyms: heartbreaking, heartrending
- Of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought.
- usage: "grave responsibilities"; "faced a grave decision in a time of crisis"; "a grievous fault"; "heavy matters of state"; "the weighty matters to be discussed at the peace conference"
- Shockingly brutal or cruel.
- usage: "murder is an atrocious crime"; "a grievous offense against morality"; "a grievous crime"; "no excess was too monstrous for them to commit"
- synonyms: atrocious, flagitious, monstrous
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). grievous. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/grievous/definitions/1175127 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "grievous" http://smartdefine.org/grievous/definitions/1175127 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, grievous, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/grievous/definitions/1175127>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "grievous" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/grievous/definitions/1175127> |