From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Grievous \Griev"ous\, a. [OF. grevous, grevos, LL. gravosus. See
{Grief}.]
1. Causing grief or sorrow; painful; afflictive; hard to
bear; offensive; harmful.
[1913 Webster]
The famine was grievous in the land. --Gen. xii.
10.
[1913 Webster]
The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight.
--Gen. xxi.
11.
[1913 Webster]
2. Characterized by great atrocity; heinous; aggravated;
flagitious; as, a grievous sin. --Gen. xviii. 20.
[1913 Webster]
3. Full of, or expressing, grief; showing great sorrow or
affliction; as, a grievous cry. -- {Griev"ous*ly}, adv. --
{Griev"ous*ness}, n.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
grievous
adj 1: causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm; "a
dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave
illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a
serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a
life-threatening disease" [syn: {dangerous}, {grave},
{grievous}, {serious}, {severe}, {life-threatening}]
2: causing or marked by grief or anguish; "a grievous loss"; "a
grievous cry"; "her sigh was heartbreaking"; "the
heartrending words of Rabin's granddaughter" [syn:
{grievous}, {heartbreaking}, {heartrending}]
3: of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious
thought; "grave responsibilities"; "faced a grave decision in
a time of crisis"; "a grievous fault"; "heavy matters of
state"; "the weighty matters to be discussed at the peace
conference" [syn: {grave}, {grievous}, {heavy}, {weighty}]
4: shockingly brutal or cruel; "murder is an atrocious crime";
"a grievous offense against morality"; "a grievous crime";
"no excess was too monstrous for them to commit" [syn:
{atrocious}, {flagitious}, {grievous}, {monstrous}]
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