aggrieve

Definition of aggrievenext

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb aggrieve differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of aggrieve are oppress, persecute, and wrong. While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

When can oppress be used instead of aggrieve?

While in some cases nearly identical to aggrieve, oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

In what contexts can persecute take the place of aggrieve?

Although the words persecute and aggrieve have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

Where would wrong be a reasonable alternative to aggrieve?

The words wrong and aggrieve can be used in similar contexts, but wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of aggrieve British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a chemicals magnate and an avid outdoorsman, was aggrieved when Land Rover replaced its rugged and rudimentary old Defender with a design that shares its engineering principles with current passenger cars. Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2023 Amazon prohibits class action lawsuits in which aggrieved sellers can aggregate their claims and have their case decided by a judge or a jury. Sandeep Vaheesan, The New Republic, 28 Feb. 2023 He was aggrieved when Hitler, in an attempt to make the National Socialists more palatable to the middle class, opposed the Rural People’s Movement, a popular anti-Weimar tax revolt, which was commendably trying to blow up buildings in Berlin. Thomas Meaney, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2023 Foreigners who aggrieve the Chinese Communist Party seriously enough typically get banned from the country. Tiffany Ap, Quartz, 4 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for aggrieve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aggrieve
Verb
  • The selloff also coincided with a probe into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, which perturbed global investors over the potential of a loss of Fed independence.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Running back Josh Jacobs was just as perturbed.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Loan defaults, foreclosures, and hotel property auctions due to distressed financing show that an array of ailments afflict the region’s lodging market.
    George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Last year the Make-A-Wish Foundation flew Luke, who was afflicted with a rare life-threatening blood disorder in high school, to Denver to meet his hero.
    Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The subjects say rending but also disquieting things about killing.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
  • This is NDiaye at her disquieting best.
    Emma Alpern, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • While the dogs are now safe with foster families, Holmes faces multiple charges, including confining an animal without sufficient food or water, keeping animals in an enclosure without exercise or air, and tormenting or depriving an animal.
    Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
  • For his work as the brilliant but deeply tormented London detective Luther, Elba won a Critics’ Choice Television Award, as well as a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In a third discomposing show of baseball in as many days, the Brewers fell, 8-6, to the lowly A's, who looked like anything but in an emphatic weekend-long dismantling of a team that entered in first place.
    Journal Sentinel, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2023
Verb
  • If fentanyl production or the existence of a Jefferson Davis statue can be legally deemed public nuisances, why can’t a deluge of violent, masked, and armed people flooding the streets of a city, maiming, brutalizing, and even killing along the way?
    Aziz Huq, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Most Iranians know someone who has been persecuted, killed, maimed, or unjustly imprisoned by the Islamic Republic regime that has occupied Iran since 1979.
    Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The administration's hardline immigration enforcement has upset millions of Americans who supported deporting immigrants with criminal records but who are uncomfortable with the aggressive tactics and detention of longtime community members and their children.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Hayley’s very upset by it, and that upsets Mickey, and that’s probably one of the biggest driving motivations for him, not just to save his own life, but to save his daughter and his family from the ramifications of this.
    Pat Saperstein, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • For years he was tortured, and finally released in 1973.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
  • He’s not tortured in any way — the only person that’s holding him back is himself.
    Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 5 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Aggrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggrieve. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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