# grievance

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡɹiː.vəns/ · frequency rank #23,849

## Definitions
1. Something which causes grief.
2. A wrong or hardship suffered, which is the grounds of a complaint.
3. Feelings of being wronged; outrage; resentment, bitterness or anger.
4. A complaint or annoyance.
5. A formal complaint, especially in the context of a unionized workplace.
6. Violation of regulations or objectionable behavior.

## Etymology
From Old French grievance, from the verb grever (“to irritate; to bother; to annoy”) + -ance, equivalent to grieve + -ance.

## Easily confused with
- **grievances** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grievance-vs-grievances)

## Common misspellings (14)
`ggrievance`, `girevance`, `greivance`, `grieavnce`, `grievacne`, `grievancce`, `grievanec`, `grievannce`, `grievence`, `grievnace`, `grievvance`, `griveance`, `grrievance`, `rgievance`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/grievance