aggrieved

adjective

ag·​grieved ə-ˈgrēvd 

1

: troubled or distressed in spirit

2

a

: suffering from an infringement or denial of legal rights

aggrieved minority groups

b

: showing or expressing grief, injury, or offense

an aggrieved plea

aggrievedly

ə-ˈgrē-vəd-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• discontent
• discontented
• disgruntled
• displeased
• dissatisfied
• malcontent

Examples of aggrieved in a Sentence

He felt aggrieved by their refusal to meet with him.

The aggrieved party may cancel the contract.

Recent Examples on the Web

With it, the administration could be setting itself up for a new fight that unites climate activists with aggrieved landowners. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2025

Lee, Pinchot and Watson play three of the series’ myriad potential suspects: aggrieved brother of the president, moody pastry chef and assistant White House usher, respectively. —Stacey Wilson Hunt, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Feb. 2025

To start, the administration should hash out a common position with allies in Asia, Europe and the Gulf, as well as Israel — both to present Tehran with a united front and to prevent any aggrieved parties from playing spoiler. —Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025

Netflix also made statements clarifying its position during the Chappelle scandal and publicly empathized with aggrieved staff members. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English agreved "annoyed, resentful," from past participle of agreven "to aggrieve"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

aggrieved

adjective

ag·​grieved ə-ˈgrēvd 

1

: troubled or distressed in spirit

2

: having a cause for complaint

especially : suffering from injury or loss

Legal Definition

aggrieved

adjective

: having a grievance: as

a

: suffering from an infringement or denial of rights

b

: having interests adversely affected

aggrieved creditors