grievous meaning and definition

GRIEVOUS adjective

Definition of grievous (adjective)

1. causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
   • "a dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a life-threatening disease"
   • synonyms: dangerous, grave, life-threatening, serious, severe
2. causing or marked by grief or anguish
   • "a grievous loss"; "a grievous cry"; "her sigh was heartbreaking"; "the heartrending words of Rabin's granddaughter"
   • synonyms: heartbreaking, heartrending
3. of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought
   • "grave responsibilities"; "faced a grave decision in a time of crisis"; "a grievous fault"; "heavy matters of state"; "the weighty matters to be discussed at the peace conference"
   • synonyms: grave, heavy, weighty
4. shockingly brutal or cruel
   • "murder is an atrocious crime"; "a grievous offense against morality"; "a grievous crime"; "no excess was too monstrous for them to commit"
   • synonyms: atrocious, flagitious, monstrous