Synonym Chooser

How does the noun grievance contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of grievance are injury, injustice, and wrong. While all these words mean "an act that inflicts undeserved hurt," 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

When is injury a more appropriate choice than grievance?

While the synonyms injury and grievance are close in meaning, injury applies in law specifically to an injustice for which one may sue to recover compensation.

libel constitutes a legal injury

When could injustice be used to replace grievance?

The words injustice and grievance can be used in similar contexts, but injustice applies to any act that involves unfairness to another or violation of one's rights.

the injustices suffered by the lower classes

When is it sensible to use wrong instead of grievance?

In some situations, the words wrong and grievance are roughly equivalent. However, 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

Examples of grievance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Trump fell far short of his pledge to get working Americans back on their feet—an electoral liability but also one of the reasons that his politics of grievance and neo-isolationist impulses still have considerable public appeal. Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2024 Demand the grievance be addressed — or escalated to a manager who will resolve your concern. Max Blau, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2024 While other members of the Markle family on both sides aired their grievances, the royal grandmother kept, well, mum on the matter. Isaac Bickerstaff, Glamour, 3 Sep. 2024 In Illinois, the deputy was fired within days of shooting Massey, his police union dropped a grievance, and the sheriff resigned after Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined a chorus of his critics. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grievance 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grievance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near grievance

Cite this Entry

“Grievance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grievance. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on grievance

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