BEREAVEMENT Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

bereavement

noun

Definition of bereavement

as in absence

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 bereavement Families may continue a pregnancy, deliver their baby, hold and comfort their child, create memories and receive bereavement support. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 In other moves, pitcher Tarik Skubal was reinstated from the bereavement list. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 More recently, British Columbia has started shifting from offering an emergency response to supporting long-term recovery, including establishing a long-term grief-and-bereavement working group. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026 The role of counseling in older adulthood is broader than addressing illness, loss and bereavement. — Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bereavement

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bereavement

Noun

The absence of an endorsement was a setback for the Likud politician, who had billed his tight ties to the Republican president as a selling point for staying in power.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
But in the absence of any federal rules, cities and states have been flexing their authority in an effort to bring order to some of the chaos.

— Andrew Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of absence

Noun

Both were transferred to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth and spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit, where they were diagnosed with brain injuries due to oxygen deprivation.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
According to the indictment, detainees were subjected to electric shocks, simulated drowning, beatings, asphyxiation, sleep deprivation and threats against their relatives.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of deprivation

Noun

The catastrophe was a reminder of not only the destructiveness of Israeli bombing, but also the depth of the continuing privation in Gaza today.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Though each of the Ghetto’s three areas (the Ghetto Nuovo, the Ghetto Vecchio, and the Ghetto Nuovissimo) retained its own, distinct character until remarkably late, it was always cramped, unsanitary, and marred by privation.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of privation

Noun

High energy costs, coupled with record exits of foreign investors from its capital markets due to risk aversion and the lack of artificial intelligence play, have kept the rupee under pressure.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
What should make all hardcore wheelmen and wheelwomen happy is the lack of a huge center screen.

— Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of lack

Browse Nearby Words

bereaved

bereavement

bereavements

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bereavement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bereavement. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bereavement

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes