bereavement

noun

be·​reave·​ment bi-ˈrēv-mənt 

bē-

: the state or fact of being bereaved or deprived of something or someone

Examples of bereavement in a Sentence

The following May, my wife and I flew to London for my father's funeral. Pam, determined to wrangle 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

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

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

a period of grief after bereavement

people who have recently suffered bereavements

Recent Examples on the Web

Not only was his son well-cared for, but the home provided bereavement support and an opportunity for the family to address anticipatory grief. — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 20 July 2026

Grief expertise is attributed to those people that are really deeply steeped and trained in grief, so those might be therapists, those might be thanatologists who study death, and dying, and bereavement. — Mikaela Cohen, Fortune, 14 July 2026

Getty Images After being placed on the bereavement list, Toronto Blue Jays’ star reliever Braydon Fisher returned to the team on Wednesday and spoke out about a heartbreaking family tragedy. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Meyer, who was reinstated from the bereavement list before the start, struck out five and walked two. — ABC News, 26 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

see bereave

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bereavement

• achievement
• underachievement

Kids Definition

bereavement

noun

be·​reave·​ment bi-ˈrēv-mənt 

: the state or fact of being bereaved