grievous
gb/ɡɹˈivəs/ us/ɡɹˈivəs/
C1
Inglese
~ 26900
Accezioni
0 accezioni
adjective
formal
C1
property
1
causing very serious suffering or harm
Very serious and causing great pain, sadness, or damage.
Schema d'uso:
a grievous [injury/mistake/loss/harm]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes use *grievous* to mean simply "sad" or "angry" (e.g., "I am grievous" meaning "I am sad"). In modern English, *grievous* almost always describes the cause of suffering or harm (a grievous injury, a grievous error, grievous harm), not a person’s temporary feeling. Learners may also overuse it in casual speech, where "serious" or "very bad" is more natural.
Sinonimi
serious (More general and common; less formal and less intense than "grievous.")
|
severe (Stresses intensity or harshness, especially of pain or punishment; similar strength but more common.)
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tragic (Focuses on the sadness and disaster, often with death; "grievous" can be tragic but also covers non-fatal harm or mistakes.)
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devastating (Highlights emotional or large-scale destructive impact; often more emotional and informal than "grievous.")
Contrari
minor (Describes damage or problems that are small and not very serious.)
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slight (Suggests very little harm or importance, the opposite of something grievous.)
Collocazioni
grievous injury
|grievous bodily harm
|grievous error
|grievous loss
|grievous injustice
|grievous blow
Temi
emotions
|law
|problems
|health
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- The report concluded that the hospital had made a grievous error in diagnosing the patient.
- He suffered a grievous injury in the accident and spent months learning to walk again.
- The company’s collapse was a grievous blow to the small town’s economy.
- She felt a grievous sense of loss after the sudden death of her friend.
- The government apologized for the grievous harm caused by its past policies.
Esempi per chi studia
- The doctor made a grievous mistake during the operation.
- He has a grievous wound on his leg after the crash.
- Losing her child was a grievous loss for the family.
- The judge called it a grievous crime against innocent people.
- They spoke about the grievous harm done to the planet.
adjective
formal
C2
property
2
very hard or oppressive to bear
Very heavy or hard to live with, like a big problem or weight in life.
Schema d'uso:
a grievous [burden/injustice/strain]
Errore comune:
Learners may not see a difference between this sense and the more concrete "serious injury or error" sense. Here, *grievous* often describes ongoing situations or conditions (a grievous burden, grievous hardship, grievous injustice), not just single events. In many cases, "very heavy" or "very serious" can replace it in simpler English.
Sinonimi
onerous (Formal; emphasizes that a duty or burden is very heavy and difficult to carry out.)
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oppressive (Suggests something that weighs people down or treats them unfairly over time.)
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crushing (More vivid and informal; highlights how the burden almost destroys someone emotionally or financially.)
Contrari
light (Describes a duty or burden that is easy and not heavy or difficult.)
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manageable (Suggests that a problem or responsibility can be handled without extreme difficulty.)
Collocazioni
grievous burden
|grievous injustice
|grievous hardship
|grievous strain
|grievous cost
|grievous consequences
Temi
problems
|society
|work
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- For many low-income families, the cost of healthcare is a grievous burden.
- The workers spoke out against the grievous injustice of unpaid overtime.
- The new tax placed a grievous strain on small businesses.
- Decades of conflict have caused grievous hardship for the region’s civilians.
- The scandal inflicted grievous damage on the party’s reputation that will be hard to repair.
Esempi per chi studia
- His debt is a grievous burden on the whole family.
- The new law is a grievous hardship for poor people.
- Losing her job was a grievous blow to her plans.
- The long war has brought grievous suffering to many people.
- This change would be a grievous cost to our community.
adjective
archaic
C2
property
3
filled with deep grief or sorrow
Feeling very strong sadness; full of grief. (Old-fashioned or literary.)
Schema d'uso:
[someone] is grievous over [something]
Errore comune:
Learners may try to use this sense in modern everyday speech (e.g., "I am grievous today"). In contemporary English, this use sounds very old-fashioned or biblical. For modern speech, use "sad," "very sad," or "full of grief" instead.
Sinonimi
sorrowful (Literary; close in meaning, describing a person filled with deep sadness.)
|
grief-stricken (Modern and vivid; strongly emphasizes being hit by intense grief.)
Contrari
joyful (Describes a person filled with great happiness, the emotional opposite of being grievous.)
Collocazioni
grievous heart
|grievous tears
|grievous lamentation
|make someone grievous
Temi
emotions
Esempi
- With a grievous heart, she watched the ship disappear into the mist.
- They were grievous for many days after the king’s death.
- In the old tale, the mother sat grievous by the window, waiting for her lost child.
- He spoke in a low, grievous voice that made the room fall silent.
Esempi per chi studia
- In the story, the man is grievous after his son dies.
- The poem shows a grievous mother crying for her child.
- Old books sometimes say a person is grievous when they are very sad.
- He gives a grievous cry in the old play.
Grammatica
Espressioni
grievous bodily harm
1/ɡɹˈivəs bˈɑdəli hˈɑɹm/
fixed phrase
technical
very serious physical injury (legal term)
Very serious injury to a person’s body, used especially as a legal term for a serious crime of violence.
Esempi
- He was charged with causing grievous bodily harm after the violent attack.
- The new law increases penalties for offenders who inflict grievous bodily harm.
- The victim survived but had clearly suffered grievous bodily harm.