aggrieve

verb

ag·​grieve ə-ˈgrēv How to pronounce aggrieve (audio)
aggrieved; aggrieving
Synonyms of aggrieve

transitive verb

1
: to give pain or trouble to : distress
2
: to inflict injury on
Choose the Right Synonym for aggrieve

wrong, oppress, persecute, aggrieve mean to injure unjustly or outrageously.

wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

Examples of aggrieve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Too often, the forceful arguments of Rankine and her peers—and the electric anger of the George Floyd protests—were used by the opportunistic and aggrieved to justify abrupt changes to unprepared institutions. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Impeachment in abeyance Impeachment, which has a visceral appeal to certain of those deeply aggrieved by this lawless president, is not a first resort, Garcia said. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 The Baltimore Orioles certainly felt aggrieved Wednesday night against the New York Yankees after Pete Alonso's deep fly to left field in the seventh inning was ruled foul — and the call was upheld on a review. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 Ruiz felt aggrieved at having these unendurable encounters constantly visited on him. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aggrieve

Word History

Etymology

Middle English agreven "to affect adversely, disturb, distress," borrowed from Anglo-French agrever "to make burdensome, worsen," going back to Latin aggravāre "to weigh down, burden, make worse" — more at aggravate

Note: The vowel -e- in agrever shows influence of grever "to grieve."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of aggrieve was in the 14th century

Rhymes for aggrieve

See All Rhymes for aggrieve

Browse Nearby Words

aggrievance
aggrieve
aggrieved
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aggrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aggrieve. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Legal Definition

aggrieve

transitive verb
ag·​grieve ə-ˈgrēv How to pronounce aggrieve (audio)
aggrieved; aggrieving
: to inflict injury on: as
a
: to adversely affect the interests of
was not the party aggrieved by the exemption
b
: to infringe or deny the rights of
a person aggrieved by an unlawful search and seizure—Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 41(g)

More from Merriam-Webster on aggrieve

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for aggrieve

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