grievous

UK: /ˈgriːvəs/ US: /ˈgrivəs/ ,(grē′vəs)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

griev•ous /ˈgrivəs/   adj. 

1. causing grief or great sorrow:
   a grievous loss.
2. causing serious harm;
   terrible:
   a grievous offense.
3. characterized by great pain or suffering:
   caused grievous bodily harm.
4. causing a great burden;
   oppressive:
   a grievous tax.

griev•ous•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

griev•ous  (grē′vəs), adj. 

1. causing grief or great sorrow:
   grievous news.
2. flagrant;
   outrageous;
   atrocious:
   a grievous offense against morality.
3. full of or expressing grief;
   sorrowful:
   a grievous cry.
4. burdensome or oppressive.
5. causing great pain or suffering:
   arrested for causing grievous bodily harm to someone in a bar.

• Old French grevo(u)stem See grieve, -ous
• Middle English grevous 1250–1300

griev′ous•ly, adv. 
griev′ous•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. distressing, sad, sorrowful, painful.
• 2. deplorable, lamentable, calamitous, heinous, flagitious, dreadful, shameful, iniquitous.

Antonyms

• 1. delightful.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

grievous / ˈɡriːvəs/ adjective

1. very severe or painful: a grievous injury
2. very serious; heinous: a grievous sin
3. showing or marked by grief
4. causing great pain or suffering

ˈgrievously adverb

ˈgrievousness noun