Is grievance formal or informal?

What is the difference between grievance and complaint?

Can grievance be used in workplace contexts?

← Dictionary

grievance

/ˈɡriːv.əns/

IELTSAcademic

noun

A strong feeling of unfair treatment; a complaint about something wrong.

He raised a formal grievance about unpaid overtime.
Workers listed their main grievance during negotiations.

Adinary Nuance

Near-neighbors: grievance is stronger than complaint and more formal than grumble; it suits serious, official, or written contexts. Use complaint for everyday issues and grumble for casual, low-intensity dissatisfaction. Pick grievance when you need a formal tone.

In other languages

Spanish: Queja
Japanese: 不満
Korean: 불만
Vietnamese: Khiếu nại
Chinese: 不满；申诉

Common phrases

grievance againstlist a grievanceaddress a grievanceraise a grievance

Synonyms

complaint dispute objection problem issue

Frequently asked questions

Is grievance formal or informal?: Is grievance formal or informal?
What is the difference between grievance and complaint?: What is the difference between grievance and complaint?
Can grievance be used in workplace contexts?: Can grievance be used in workplace contexts?
Is grievance a countable noun?: Is grievance a countable noun?