griev·ance

[gree-vuhns]
noun
1.
a wrong considered as grounds for complaint, or something believed to cause distress: Inequitable taxation is the chief grievance.
2.
a complaint or resentment, as against an unjust or unfair act: to have a grievance against someone.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English greva(u)nce < Old French grevance. See grieve, -ance

pre·griev·ance, noun


1. affront, injustice, hurt, injury, distress.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
grievance (ˈɡriːvəns) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a real or imaginary wrong causing resentment and regarded as grounds for complaint
2.  a feeling of resentment or injustice at having been unfairly treated
3.  obsolete affliction or hardship
 
[C15 grevance, from Old French, from grever to grieve1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Grievance is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

grievance
c.1300, "state of being aggrieved," from O.Fr. grevance, from grever "to harm" (see grieve). In reference to a cause of such a condition, from late 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

grievance

see air one's grievances.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
In any modernized country, the backward-looking party will always tend toward
  resentment and grievance.
The opposition does feel that it has specific grounds for grievance against the
  government.
His interests include literary criticism and what he dismisses as
 grievance studies”.
Staff covered for each other, grievance processes were sabotaged and evidence
  was frequently destroyed.
Idioms & Phrases
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