as in grieving
suffering the death of a loved one
the grief of the bereaved parents seemed to be without limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
variants
or bereft
as in deprived
to take something away from
news of a death in the family bereaved them of the unmitigated joy that normally prevails at a wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bereaved
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
Once again, bereaved parents are sitting in the courtroom audience.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Jeremy Irvine plays the beleaguered, bereaved Henry.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereaved
Adjective
For weeks, the courtroom has been filled with bereaved parents holding framed photos of their children who died after encountering harm on social media.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
Once again, bereaved parents are sitting in the courtroom audience.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
But there would inevitably be some who insisted that the bereaved also join in the singing.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Jeremy Irvine plays the beleaguered, bereaved Henry.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereaved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bereaved
Verb
-
This deprived the state treasurer of huge assets that otherwise could have been invested to generate billions of dollars in revenue over those seven decades.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
And that’s obviously deprived the fund of millions of dollars every year.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Now the reality of losing Beryl to cancer in an NHS hospital overlooking Camden Town, opera floating down the halls at her request, left us all completely bereft.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The search was scaled down, and her bereft parents, Carole and Vince, went home to their three boys.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Without public explanation, Welch stripped Benton of his committee assignments and barred him from caucus meetings late last month, the Tribune reported.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Vandals quickly stripped it bare, from its electrical wiring to its rooftop mechanicals, and loiterers congregating outside its doors and in its parking lot sometimes numbered in the dozens during a difficult post-pandemic downturn for the Midway.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Several conspiracy theories have emerged in the wake of the assassination, taking an emotional toll on the widowed mother of two.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
-
With Season 4 comes a potential new flame for the widowed Violet (Ruth Gemmell) in the form of one Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis).—
Emily Kelleher,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bereaved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bereaved. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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