grievous

English

Alternative forms

• greuous (obsolete)
• grievious (less common outside dialects)

Etymology

From grieve, from the Middle English greven, from the Old French grever, from Latin gravare (which means to burden). Developed in the 13th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɡriː.vəs/
• Rhymes: -iːvəs

Adjective

grievous (comparative more grievous, superlative most grievous)

1. Causing grief, pain or sorrow.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

     As for the captain, his wounds were grievous indeed but not dangerous.

2. Serious, grave, dire or dangerous.

Usage notes

• In dialects, a pronunciation with three syllables is also found, IPA: /ɡriː.viː.əs/, which is then often spelled grievious.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:lamentable