bereavement

be·reave·ment

noun \bi-ˈrēv-mənt, bē-\

Definition of BEREAVEMENT

: the state or fact of being bereaved or deprived of something or someone : the state or fact of being bereaved; especially : the loss of a loved one by death

Examples of BEREAVEMENT

1. a period of grief after bereavement
2. people who have recently suffered bereavements
3. The following May, my wife and I flew to London for my father's funeral. Pam, determined to wangle us an upgrade to business class on the strength of my bereavement, gave the British Airways ticketing clerk two passports and a sob story. —John Haney, Gourmet, January 2003
4. In the sections of her book that should prove an enduring contribution to the literature of grief, Ms. Gilbert recounts her free fall into widowhood, starting with that modern rite of bereavement, the erasing of the answering-machine message. —James S. Kunen, New York Times Book Review, 19 Mar. 1995
5. In any case, sadness and loss of interest and drive during periods of bereavement are expected and normal. If Mozart had not been upset by his parents' deaths, his wife's illnesses, and his separations from her, he would be less than human. —William A. Frosch, Musical Quarterly, 1990

Origin of BEREAVEMENT

(see bereave)

First Known Use: circa 1731

Rhymes with BEREAVEMENT

achievement, aggrievement