[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/grievous.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / grievous

[← G](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/G/)

# grievous

«grievous» in Mova's school dictionary: **Very serious and harmful: a grievous mistake** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (grievous, more grievous)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) Very serious and harmful: a grievous mistake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#m1)

2) (formal) Causing great sadness or pain: a grievous loss. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#m2)

3) (law, UK) «Grievous bodily harm» (GBH) is a serious crime of badly hurting someone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In history, Bible and old stories it marks serious wrongs, sins and losses. In UK news and law, GBH is a serious assault. In everyday speech it is rare and sounds formal or old-fashioned. Phrases: a grievous error, grievous loss, grievous bodily harm.

### examples

- The general made a grievous mistake and lost the battle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#x1)
- The death of the queen was a grievous loss to the country. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#x2)
- The man was charged with grievous bodily harm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#x3)
- «I have sinned grievously,» said the knight in the story. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#x4)
- A grievous wound needs a doctor straight away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#x5)
- Forgetting her birthday was not a grievous crime. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#x6)
- But at last the gods afflicted the country with a grievous pestilence, which made terrible havoc among the people. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/#x7)

### note

Pronounced GREE-vus (two syllables). A very common mistake is «GREE-vee-us» or spelling it «grievious»: there is no i before -ous. Related: grief, grieve, grievance.

### In the corpora

- [And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.552/)
- [and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.1332/)
- [A grievous vision is declared unto me: 'The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/ISA.418/)
- [They are all grievous revolters, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron; they all of them deal corruptly.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/JER.199/)
- [My wound is grievous; but I said: 'This is but a sickness, and I must bear it.'](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/JER.318/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «grievous» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grievous/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.