grievance

noun

griev·​ance ˈgrē-vən(t)s 

1

: a cause of distress (such as an unsatisfactory working condition) felt to afford reason for complaint or resistance

Her chief grievance was the sexual harassment by her boss.

2

: the formal expression of a grievance : complaint

filed a grievance against her employer

3

obsolete : suffering, distress

Synonyms

• down [chiefly British]
• grudge
• resentment
• score

Choose the Right Synonym for grievance

injustice, injury, wrong, grievance mean an act that inflicts undeserved hurt.

injustice applies to any act that involves unfairness to another or violation of one's rights.

the injustices suffered by the lower classes

injury applies in law specifically to an injustice for which one may sue to recover compensation.

libel constitutes a legal injury

wrong applies also in law to any act punishable according to the criminal code; it may apply more generally to any flagrant injustice.

determined to right society's wrongs

grievance applies to a circumstance or condition that constitutes an injustice to the sufferer and gives just ground for complaint.

a list of employee grievances

Examples of grievance in a Sentence

He has a deep sense of grievance against his former employer.

She has been nursing a grievance all week.

In the petition, the students listed their many grievances against the university administration.

Several customers came to the front desk to air their grievances.

Recent Examples on the Web

Though other presidents have spoken from the Justice Department's ceremonial Great Hall, Trump's address amounted to an extraordinary display of partisan politics and personal grievances inside an institution that is meant to be blind to both. —arkansasonline.com, 14 Mar. 2025

Hale took to Instagram to air his grievances with the entire process. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 13 Mar. 2025

In his writings, Mangione apparently expressed his grievances with the healthcare industry — specifically naming UnitedHealthcare and the shareholder conference where Thompson was headed in New York at the time of the assassination. —Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2025

That left Democrats as less-than-unified in their general messaging and again looking to voters like a scattershot collection of grievances rather than anything approaching a party with a central spine. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grevaunce, grevance "offense, ground for complaint, resentment, hardship, sickness," borrowed from Anglo-French, from grever "to be a burden to, harm, afflict" + -aunce, -ance -ance — more at grieve

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

grievance

noun

griev·​ance ˈgrē-vən(t)s 

1

: a cause of distress giving reason for complaint

2

: the formal expression of a grievance : complaint

Legal Definition

grievance

noun

griev·​ance ˈgrē-vəns 

1

: a cause of distress (as an unsatisfactory working condition or unfair labor practice) felt to afford a reason for complaint or dispute

especially : a violation of a collective bargaining agreement usually by the employer

2

: the formal expression of a grievance brought especially by an employee as the initial step toward resolution through a grievance procedure see also arbitration, grievance arbitration at arbitration, mediation