GRIEVING Synonyms: 181 Similar and Opposite Words

grieving 1 of 3

adjective

as in weeping

expressing or suggesting mourning the grieving sobs of the widow could be heard throughout the funeral service

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grieving

2 of 3

noun

as in mourning

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Dissimilar Words

grieving

3 of 3

verb

present participle of grieve

as in aching

to feel deep sadness or mental pain we all grieved over the lost cat

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 grieving

Noun

Or that most people know him only as a grieving spouse, and he was elected out of sympathy? — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 This horrendous act leads a grieving but determined Ruthye to Kara Zor-El, dead set on exacting revenge for the killings and using our Supergirl to help get her to the culprit. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 24 June 2026 Sallie West has since opened her front door to the grieving. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 Traumatized into silence, the de facto orphan stays living with the kindly but guilt-ridden, grieving and impecunious Hiroshi. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 June 2026 The grieving in the sense of mourning and crying and all that might stop, but the pain is going to be there. — Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026 Is this part of a process of grieving or one of denial? — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026 The search for answers is one step in a long grieving process. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 Hughes remembered as a spiritual leader While there have been public honors for Hughes – his smiling yearbook photo was displayed on the scoreboard overlooking the football field – much of the grieving in this community of about 200,000 people is playing out in private. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026

Verb

Shane Thomson, the high-risk security adviser who warned Hall, Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova not to go beyond the Kyiv city limits, joined the grieving parents in their lawsuit against Fox and Hall. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 Her unexpected passing has left fans around the world grieving. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Families confronting a devastating diagnosis may already be frightened, grieving and overwhelmed. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 Regardless, Lowen starts working while bonding with Verity’s grieving husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and their son, Crew. — Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026 The man responsible for Ayad’s accident is revealed to be a grieving father, collaterally damaged by the war in Afghanistan. — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 Asbille plays a grieving woman injected with a paralytic drug who must then run, hide and fight her would-be killer before her body shuts down. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 But while politicians trade barbs, residents in Rio de Janeiro have been designing their own responses, with ex-traffickers launching podcasts and grieving mothers stepping up to stop youth recruitment. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 The Justice Department unveiled a $25 million grant opportunity Thursday as Attorney General Todd Blanche hosted violent crime survivors and grieving families for a summit focused on public safety and support for victims. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grieving

Adjective

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
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Noun

Because so many of Gunn’s friends died in San Francisco, a city where Gunn had found happiness and freedom, then these elegies are also a monument to a time of communal sorrow and mourning.

— Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Dressed in a black shirt to signify mourning, Pezeshkian made his own threats, too.

— Robin Wright, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of mourning

Verb

The aching reality of life for oppressed Black people is never explicitly referred to.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Japanese arthouse favorite Hirokazu Koreeda returns to his wheelhouse to marvelous effect with Look Back, an aching drama about growing up and making art, featuring a pair of stunning performances from child actors.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of aching

Adjective

The GoFundMe, which was started to cover funeral costs, counseling and other support for the family, has raised a little over $23,000.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
To Diana, who has taken over First Desk at the Park after last season’s events, River’s refusal to take bereavement leave gives her license to speak about his grandfather’s funeral arrangements with her usual cool formality.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of funeral

Noun

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for Jacks to cover previous and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent impairment and loss of enjoyment of life.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Another independent doctor subsequently concluded that the child's suffering was clear and unbearable, and that the requirements for termination of life under the nation's rules had been met.

— Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of suffering

Verb

By the 11th game of the third set, Keys was hitting herself in the head with her racket, taking her cap off and sighing deep breaths that were either meant to steady her or out of exasperation.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
The soundtrack—by the frequent Hans Zimmer collaborator David Fleming—is a delight, a polyphonic mood board of ghost-clangs, spooky bassoons, lyrical electro-motifs, and sighing sea themes.

— James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Definition of sighing

Adjective

Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Daria’s heartbroken family declined to comment on her death Saturday.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Cite this Entry

Style

“Grieving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grieving. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grieving

adjective

noun

verb

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