English Lexicon

Grievance

/ˈɡriː.vəns/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #4120 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A real or imagined cause for complaint, especially unfair treatment.

    "Employees filed a grievance against the management for unfair labor practices."
  2. 2

    A formal complaint or statement of dissatisfaction.

    "The grievance was submitted to the human resources department for review."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Old French 'grevance', stemming from 'grever' (to burden, afflict), which traces back to the Latin 'gravare' (to make heavy, weigh down) from 'gravis' (heavy). The term has historically evolved from denoting physical burdens or oppression to specifically signifying a perceived wrong or cause for complaint.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Grievance"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Grievance"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Grievance" Synonym Map