bereft

be·reft

adj \bi-ˈreft\

Definition of BEREFT

1

a : deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something —usually used with of <both players are instantly bereft of their poise — A. E. Wier> b : lacking something needed, wanted, or expected —used with of <the book is … completely bereft of an index — Times Literary Supplement>

2

: suffering the death of a loved one : bereaved <a bereft mother>

Examples of BEREFT

1. <to one investigator, the bereft woman seemed to be taking the sudden death of her rich husband amazingly well>
2. <a cheap motel completely bereft of all amenities>
3. She finds the child's mother, alone, who has apparently gone into the woods just to cry. The bereft mother is played by Julianne Moore. —Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 31 Jan. 2000
4. … made the tabloids when his wife ran off to France with her dentist and the bereft realtor placed a newspaper ad for a girl to adopt to keep him company. —Neal Gabler, Life: The Movie, 1998
5. It's not that the country was completely bereft of humor. —Joseph Contrevas, Newsweek, 6 June 1994

Origin of BEREFT

(see bereave)

First Known Use: 1565

Related to BEREFT

Synonyms: bereaved

Antonyms: filled, flush, fraught, full, replete, rife

Related Words: orphaned, widowed; distressed, grieving, melancholy, miserable, mournful, mourning, sad, sorrowing, suffering, unhappy, upset; bemoaning, crying, lamenting, wailing, weeping

Near Antonyms: furnished, provided, supplied; brimming, bulging, bursting, chock-full (or chockful), crammed, crowded, fat, jammed, jam-packed, loaded, packed, saturated, stuffed; abounding, swarming, teeming, thick, thronging

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

Rhymes with BEREFT

grand theft, New Left, stage left