bereaved 1 of 2

Definition of bereavednext
as in grieving
suffering the death of a loved one the grief of the bereaved parents seemed to be without limit

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bereaved

2 of 2

verb

variants or bereft
past tense of bereave
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bereaved
Adjective
The government has rejected calls to give bereaved families more time to pay. Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 9 Apr. 2026 During his visit, Evans toured impact sites caused by enemy missiles, met wounded civilians and Holocaust survivors, and provided $50,000 in financial assistance to a bereaved family. Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
Edmonson even started a gifting service to support the newly bereaved at those weighty milestones throughout the first year of grief. Delaney Rebernik, Time, 11 Mar. 2026 But there would inevitably be some who insisted that the bereaved also join in the singing. Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bereaved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bereaved
Verb
  • Trump’s attorneys have argued on appeal that those rulings prevented jurors from hearing critical information and deprived him of a fair opportunity to defend himself.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
  • As of this spring, sixteen of its newest homes — two four-bedroom houses and eight one-bedroom units in phase one — are home to people who, until recently, were experiencing homelessness in one of the UK's most beautiful and most deprived counties.
    Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Adjective
  • Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, testified that the screenplay left him bereft.
    Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
  • The players looked broken and the fanbase were bereft after a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in Igor Tudor’s final game in charge left them only a point above the relegation zone, with no win in 13 league matches.
    Jay Harris, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Verb
  • And the Education Department has stripped funding from some districts that used it to create magnet schools intended to be more diverse.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 June 2026
  • Scientists used the spacecraft to investigate how solar activity stripped atmospheric particles away from the planet over billions of years.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
Adjective
  • The main character is an introverted English teacher named Richard Garay, who lives a very quiet and small life, in the shadow of his widowed mother.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 May 2026
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Bereaved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bereaved. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.

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