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
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
One pair belonged to Sara Hernández, a member of the Comité Eureka—the group of bereft relatives whom Sheinbaum had marched with decades ago.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
In 1971, Rubens Paiva, a forty-one-year-old civil engineer and politician, was abducted from his home in Rio de Janeiro and tortured to death, leaving his family bereft.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereft
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
One pair belonged to Sara Hernández, a member of the Comité Eureka—the group of bereft relatives whom Sheinbaum had marched with decades ago.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
In 1971, Rubens Paiva, a forty-one-year-old civil engineer and politician, was abducted from his home in Rio de Janeiro and tortured to death, leaving his family bereft.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereft
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bereft
Adjective
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They were joined by the October 7 Council, which represents bereaved families of soldiers who fell at the start of the war.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
10 Aug. 2025
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Bischoff’s is famous for creating prop animals for films, but now a bulk of its taxidermy requests come from bereaved pet owners.—
Jessie Schiewe,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 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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Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
14 Feb. 2023
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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As with almost any change, some residents were unhappy, mostly about being told to slow down.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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President Donald Trump was unhappy with July’s U.S. jobs report, which showed hiring slowing (with 73,000 jobs added, compared to 100,000 predicted) and revised past months’ numbers.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bereft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bereft. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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