Synonyms of grief

grief

noun

ˈgrēf 

1

as in sorrow

deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved

even the gruff grandfather felt a heartbreaking grief when the family dog died

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sorrow
• anguish
• heartbreak
• agony
• heartache
• guilt
• pain
• woe
• sorrowfulness
• remorse
• distress
• suffering
• despair
• melancholy
• depression
• dolor
• misery
• shame
• regret
• sorriness
• torment
• affliction
• unhappiness
• oppression
• dejection
• dolefulness
• gloom
• blues
• gloominess
• wretchedness
• heartsickness
• dreariness
• dumps
• despondency
• contrition
• melancholia
• desolation
• glumness
• joylessness
• miserableness
• downheartedness
• despondence
• forlornness
• desolateness
• self-pity
• doldrums
• rue
• self-reproach
• disconsolateness
• woefulness
• mopes
• blue devils
• dispiritedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• joy
• happiness
• elation
• ecstasy
• pleasure
• exultation
• glee
• jubilation
• delight
• euphoria
• exuberance
• bliss
• gladness
• exhilaration
• cheerfulness
• rapture
• joyousness
• mirth
• joyfulness
• blessedness
• cheer
• felicity
• cheeriness
• humor
• merriment
• gayety
• gaiety
• optimism
• merrymaking
• jollity
• joviality
• lightheartedness
• gayness
• hopefulness
• blissfulness
• gleefulness
• enjoyment
• elatedness
• gladsomeness
• rapturousness
• mirthfulness
• contentment
• content
• sunniness
• contentedness

2

as in frustration

the feeling of impatience or anger caused by another's repeated disagreeable acts

there seemed to be no end to the grief that the school bullies were giving to the young boy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• frustration
• exasperation
• irritation
• anger
• displeasure
• annoyance
• discomfort
• aggravation
• vexation
• indignation
• trouble
• distress
• agitation
• bother
• irritability
• pip
• outrage
• upset
• resentment
• botheration
• aggro
• disturbance
• perturbation
• pet
• irritableness
• pique
• umbrage
• ire
• angriness
• dudgeon
• snappishness
• gall
• dander
• peeve
• irateness
• huff
• chafe

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pleasure
• delight

Synonym Chooser

How is the word grief different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of grief are anguish, regret, sorrow, and woe. While all these words mean "distress of mind," grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

When is it sensible to use anguish instead of grief?

The meanings of anguish and grief largely overlap; however, anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

When would regret be a good substitute for grief?

The words regret and grief are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

When is sorrow a more appropriate choice than grief?

While the synonyms sorrow and grief are close in meaning, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

When might woe be a better fit than grief?

The synonyms woe and grief are sometimes interchangeable, but woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grief

Here, Farrell’s deadpan becomes a vessel not of submerged romantic longing, but of a mixture of guilt, grief, indecision, and rage. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025

Something approaching ecological grief now surfaced in his work, a sense that Big Sky Country’s outdoor life—and with it, the folkways of people who beat the sun to rising and who know how to shoe a horse and gut and pack out an elk—was becoming gradually impossible, or at least unappreciated. —Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025

Now, Elleigh channels her grief into advocacy. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

Set against the backdrop of suburban New Jersey, Noah is forced to confront his family’s messy grief, his Jewish identity, and the return of a past love. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025

Phrases Containing grief

• come to grief