gravamen
1
9.9
- noun
- /ɡrəˈveɪmən/
- Jargon
- You created the wacky quote as an ego defense to give yourself less reason to consider the gravamen of the thread.
Examples
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But the gravamen would have us believe that the smart and rich are intrinsically "nicer" than the hoi polloi.
Blog text (33) -
The gravamen of the charge now is that philanthropy, by its very nature, is a self-serving exercise on the part of philanthropists at the expense of those whom they are ostensibly serving.
Academic text (1990) -
And where, where is the gravamen of that waste coming from?
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Simple murders and atrocities do not constitute the gravamen of the charges in this indictment.
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The suit's gravamen is that Talla/60th St. charged Sapphire grossly excessive rents and also used Sapphire's funds to pay the defendants' separate loan obligations.
Blog text (28) -
The gravamen of the commentaries is that a textualist approach has never effectively limited judges in the United States (Wood), no longer appears to limit even judges in the civil law tradition (Glendon), and clearly ought not to limit contemporary judges in their endeavors to advance the common good as they understand it (Tribe and Dworkin).
Academic text (1999) -
The gravamen of the lawsuit is that the company failed to deliver the products as promised.
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In his defense, the gravamen of his argument was that the evidence was not sufficient to prove guilt.
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The gravamen of the complaint against the landlord is excessive rent increases without justification.
Synonyms
85
5.8
A complaint about something unfair, often made formally to people in charge
Antonyms
How Central
Surface Forms
Etymology
Gravamen comes from the Latin root gravis, meaning 'heavy', and from gravare 'to weigh down'. Think of gravity or grave; the gravamen is the 'heavy' or most important part of a legal complaint, the main burden the court must consider.