aggrieve

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
  • Draisaitl seemed perturbed to be asked about how well the Oilers are keeping the puck out of the net, just as McDavid was after Game 5.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 21 May 2025
  • Philadelphia’s bench had some words for Hicks, who was already a bit perturbed after allowing five runs in the first inning.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Recent research suggests that the global area afflicted by lethal heat waves would triple in size in coming decades even if global climate agreements — which President Trump exited on his first day in office — were kept.
    Saul Elbein, The Hill, 14 May 2025
  • An estimated 75,000 people are afflicted with this disease in our country.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • Vessel’s lyrics seem disquieted by the attention, though.
    August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
  • Many here see her as the embodiment of an America undergoing a cultural shift that threatens the heritage and political sensibilities of an old frontier town disquieted by changing times and suspicious of alternative lifestyles.
    Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Now the team does as well. Tipoff Wednesday night marked the halfway point for the Knicks’ quest to cleanse Madison Square Garden of the curse that has tormented it for five decades.
    Kyle Wagner, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
  • Sirens is smartest when paralleling the entitlement of 21st century American wealth with Ancient Greek divinity, skewering the insularity and entitlement of these modern plutocrats who throw galas to honor themselves and to torment or seduce the mortals who are their employees and playthings.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • Not that long ago, an 11th-hour revelation that the Justice Department was criminally investigating a candidate like Andrew M. Cuomo would have been enough to kill or at least seriously maim a mayoral campaign.
    Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 21 May 2025
  • Turquoise Morton, 38, is charged with abandoning a domestic animal and animal cruelty for allegedly torturing, tormenting, or maiming a dog.
    Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Italy's decision to tighten its citizenship rules has upset some Italian Americans hoping to formalize their connection to the country.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
  • The right back is a member of Arsenal, which upset favored Barcelona for the title, 1-0, in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, May 24.
    Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • Investigators say the group allegedly lured the former business partner back from Italy to access his cryptocurrency account and then kidnapped and tortured him for weeks.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
  • Prosecutors said the adults tortured the children, beating them daily, depriving them of food and strangling them to the point of passing out.
    Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Brands that fail to understand the broader impact of financial strain risk alienating a key generation of future customers.
    Nandan Sheth, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
  • The oversight, which alienated some series veterans, may have stemmed from the lightning speed with which Exiles came together, with ink on the deals not yet dry when the announcement was made.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Aggrieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aggrieve. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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