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Grievous

//ˈɡɹiː.vəs// adj

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Causing grief, pain, or sorrow.

    "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."

  2. 2
    Serious, grave, dire, or dangerous.

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

Adjective
  1. 1
    causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm wordnet
  2. 2
    shockingly brutal or cruel wordnet
  3. 3
    of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought wordnet
  4. 4
    causing or marked by grief or anguish wordnet

Etymology

From Middle English grevous, from Anglo-Norman grevous, from Old French grever, from Latin gravō (“I burden”). Developed in the 13th century. Equivalent to grief + -ous.

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