1
as in bereaved
suffering the death of a loved one
to one investigator, the bereft woman seemed to be taking the sudden death of her rich husband amazingly well
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in devoid
utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected
a cheap motel completely bereft of all amenities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bereft
The community/customers are bereft about the closing.
—
Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2025
Over there, in a 67,000-square-foot building that’s hardly bereft, staring at evidence of a national title drought four decades long, Darian DeVries works on reintroducing college basketball to a place that should be on good terms with it.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Hong-rang, the beloved child of a wealthy Joseon merchant family, vanishes into thin air, leaving half-sister Jae-yi (Cho Bo-ah), mother Min Yeon-ui (Uhm Ji-won), and father Sim Yeol-guk (Park Byung-eun) bereft and the future of the guild unclear.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 16 May 2025
Another gentleman comes up from behind Sophie and asks for her hand in a dance, leaving Benedict bereft and definitely wanting more.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereft
Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2025
Over there, in a 67,000-square-foot building that’s hardly bereft, staring at evidence of a national title drought four decades long, Darian DeVries works on reintroducing college basketball to a place that should be on good terms with it.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Hong-rang, the beloved child of a wealthy Joseon merchant family, vanishes into thin air, leaving half-sister Jae-yi (Cho Bo-ah), mother Min Yeon-ui (Uhm Ji-won), and father Sim Yeol-guk (Park Byung-eun) bereft and the future of the guild unclear.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 16 May 2025
Another gentleman comes up from behind Sophie and asks for her hand in a dance, leaving Benedict bereft and definitely wanting more.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereft
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bereft
Adjective
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As for Cohen’s next novel, Beautiful Losers, which was set in an apartment in Montreal as a bereaved and lust‑tormented narrator reconstructs his relations with the dead, there was a sharp divide of opinion internally at Viking.—
Paul Slovak
September 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
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However, her relationship with the tournament turned sour in 1999 after she was refused permission to bring the 12-year-old son of a bereaved friend into the royal box.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.—
Michael Abbott,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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That devoid ingredient hindered things exponentially.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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My research team works hard to keep the email addresses up to date, but executives keep changing their addresses to avoid having to deal with unhappy customers.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
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But few seemed to leave unhappy.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The film centers on a widowed fisherwoman, travelling alone through snowbound northern Minnesota, who interrupts the kidnapping of a teenage girl.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bereft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bereft. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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