adj
grievous
GREE-vuhs
adj
1
Very serious or severe, especially describing harm, pain, or wrongdoing.
"He suffered a grievous injury in the crash."
"The scandal was a grievous error in judgment for the company."
How to Use Grievous
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishExtremely serious, severe, or painful — a formal word often used for injuries or wrongs.
When to use it
Fairly formal; common in legal contexts like "grievous bodily harm."
Common pairings
grievous bodily harm
a grievous mistake
grievous wound
Word Forms
more grievous comparative, most grievous superlative
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Etymology
From Old French grevous, related to Latin gravāre ("to burden") — built on the same root as "grief" and "grieve."