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Glite Dictionary
minor grievance

minor grievance

4.5
A small complaint about something that bothers you
  • noun
translation icon : queja menor
  • At Stanford, for example, an outside labor lawyer noticed a regular pattern of minor grievances turning into confrontations and ultimately lawsuits.

And I just have one other note, just a minor grievance of mine that I'd like to air all of the Maggot merch.

Examples

  • He dismissed the complaints as merely minor grievances that didn't impact the project's success.

  • The feedback she received included a few minor grievances about the team's communication.

  • And I just have one other note, just a minor grievance of mine that I'd like to air all of the Maggot merch.

    I've Had It

  • While an unfortunate amount of backtracking and a lackluster story halt the game from being flawless, these are just minor grievances in an otherwise fantastic game.

    Blog text (22)

  • Although there were some minor grievances, the meeting was productive and everyone felt heard.

Synonyms

complaint
vsminor grievance
564 1.4

A statement saying you are unhappy or annoyed about something

is a smaller or less important instance of that expression
grievance
vsminor grievance
89 5.8

A complaint about something unfair, often made formally to people in charge

is about a small, relatively unimportant case rather than serious unfairness
grumble
vsminor grievance
3 3.4

A quiet complaint about something you dislike

is a small clear concern rather than a quiet vague expression

How Serious

grievance
89 5.8
minor grievance
4.5

Surface Forms

minor grievance singular
minor grievances plural

Morphology

minor + grievance

The meaning 'a small or relatively unimportant complaint' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'minor' (not important) with 'grievance' (a complaint). This simple adjective+noun compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The noun minor grievance gives a simple picture: minor means small and grievance once meant a 'hurt' or 'complaint'. So, it describes a small, not very important complaint someone has.