grievous

English

Alternative forms

• greuous (obsolete)
• grievious, grevious (less common / nonstandard outside dialects)

Etymology

From Middle English grevous, from Middle English greven, from Old French grever, from Latin gravō (“I burden”). Developed in the 13th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɹiː.vəs/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -iːvəs
• (nonstandard outside dialects) IPA^(key): /ɡɹiː.viː.əs/ (often used in conjunction with the spelling grievious)

Adjective

grievous (comparative more grievous, superlative most grievous)

1. Causing grief, pain or sorrow.
   • 1837, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Ethel Churchill, volume 1, page 14:

     No wonder that the old man's eye dwelt upon her with mingled pride and tenderness; yet was it a face that might cause affection many an anxious hour, for there was mind in the lofty and clear forehead, heart in the warm and flushed cheek,—and what are mind and heart to woman, but fairy gifts, for whose possession a grievous price will be exacted.

   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

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

2. Serious, grave, dire or dangerous.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:lamentable

Translations

causing grief, pain or sorrow

• Bulgarian: скръбен (bg) (skrǎben), печален (bg) (pečalen), мъчителен (bg) (mǎčitelen)
• Dutch: pijnlijk (nl)
• Greek:

  Ancient: λυπηρός (lupērós), μογερός (mogerós)

• Romanian: dureros (ro)
• Russian: мучи́тельный (ru) (mučítelʹnyj), печа́льный (ru) (pečálʹnyj)
• Swedish: allvarlig (sv) c

serious, grave, dire or dangerous

• Bulgarian: тежък (bg) (težǎk), сериозен (bg) (seriozen)

• French: grave (fr)
• Swedish: allvarlig (sv) c

Anagrams

• grevious