Complaint and Grievance

Complaint

Complaint noun - An expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment.
Usage example: a warning that if there were any more complaints, we were turning around and not going to the beach after all

Grievance is a synonym for complaint in protest topic. In some cases you can use "Grievance" instead a noun "Complaint", when it comes to topics like appeal, happy, grumble, discontent. popular alternative

Grievance

Grievance noun - A lingering ill will towards a person for a real or imagined wrong.
Usage example: this is no place to air your grievances against him

Complaint is a synonym for grievance in appeal topic. You can use "Complaint" instead a noun "Grievance", if it concerns topics such as happy. popular alternative

Nearby Words: grieve, grieved, grieving

How words are described

particular particular complaint particular grievance
common common complaint common grievance
formal formal complaint formal grievance
original original complaint original grievance
Other adjectives: initial, legitimate, genuine, actual, real, big, main, trivial, minor.
Cite this Source
Grievance and Complaint. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 20, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/complaint/grievance
Complaint & Grievance. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/complaint/grievance>.
Grievance or Complaint. 2016. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/complaint/grievance.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "complaint" and "grievance" have occurred on timeline