What does grievance mean?
Word: Grievance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Grievance means a complaint about something you feel is unfair, or the feeling of having been treated unfairly.
Synonyms: grudge, objection
How do you spell grievance?
Syllables: griev - ance
Tricky part: It keeps the ie of grieve, i before e, and the e on the end of grieve drops away before the ending is added.
Watch out for: greivance, grieveance, grieviance
Memory tip: Start from grieve and take off its last e. The ie is the same pair you write in believe and field.
Grievance in a sentence
Example 1: The residents took their grievance about the broken streetlight to the municipal office.
Example 2: If you have a grievance, write it down calmly instead of shouting.
Example 3: The workers' main grievance was the long hours without a break.
Fun Fact
In many countries, an official called an ombudsman looks into grievances that people have against government offices.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
grievance
a) apology
b) reminder
c) request
d) complaint
Show answer
d) complaint. Someone with a grievance has a complaint about being treated unfairly.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) grievance
b) neccessary
c) seperate
d) accomodate
Show answer
a) grievance. Separate, necessary and accommodate are three classic traps, and each is misspelt here in its own way.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The parents wrote to the principal about their grievence over the sudden rise in bus fees.
a) principal
b) sudden
c) grievence
d) parents
Show answer
c) grievence. The ending of grievance is ance, as in allowance.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which remark expresses a fair grievance?
a) We all enjoyed the school concert today.
b) Our water has been cut off for three days.
c) The park looks lovely after the rain.
d) Thank you for fixing the road so quickly.
Show answer
b) Our water has been cut off for three days.
2. Someone who nurses a grievance ____.
a) looks after a sick friend at home
b) laughs off every problem that comes along
c) forgets a quarrel as soon as it ends
d) stays bitter about a wrong for a long time
Show answer
d) stays bitter about a wrong for a long time
