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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grieving

2 of 3

noun

as in mourning

Related Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Days later, thousands of grieving students marched through Beijing, calling for a more democratic government in Hu’s honor. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026 Though he was never convicted of her killing, Duckett’s execution still brought some sense of closure to Weldon’s still-grieving family. — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Newspaper cartoons portraying a grieving Sherlock Holmes capturedthe public’s sense of irreparable loss. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Listening to Anna, the grieving mother gives her gun to the ranger. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 This week, that grieving son flew 20 hours from New Zealand to Miami with his mother on his mind. — Grethel Aguila, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 Stocks plays a young teen named Maz, an amateur astronomer still grieving the disappearance of her scientist father (Rheon). — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026 After the hearing, a relative emphasized that the woman asked to leave was grieving. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 Backlash for grieving on TikTok Both Rose and Satori have been vocal online about their experiences, which have received positive and negative reactions. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grieving
  1. weeping
  2. mourning
  3. aching
  4. funeral
  5. suffering
  6. sighing
  7. heartbroken
  8. tears
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
  • Many residents on Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara province spent the day mourning victims and waiting for aid to arrive to communities still cut off by the deadly quake.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • In 2024, the artist added a fifth video, Keening, addressing collective mourning and rage after October 7, 2023, in which Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 240 more hostage.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of mourning
Verb
  • There are cameos, twists and a fair amount of busywork setting up future films, but but the film’s focus remains squarely on Holland’s twin mission of defeating a mysterious new enemy and dealing with the aching loss of his girlfriend.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Performed beneath a continuous gentle rain of warm seawater, this experience combines mineral-rich marine exposure and thermal comfort soothing aching muscles along the way and quieting the mind.
    — Rana Good, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of aching
Adjective
  • There is a funeral procession in the morning and a wedding in the afternoon.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
  • At his San Francisco tour opener and other stops, Burke went all in on a funeral theme.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of funeral
Noun
  • Additionally, Newsom’s office said survivors can still seek non-economic damages, with no ceiling, for their pain and suffering in cases of injury, death or in instances where someone witnessed a family member’s injury.
    — Linh Tat, Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Once again, international organizations removed Hamas and their share of the blame for Gaza’s suffering from the conversation, stoking the anti-Israel narrative.
    — Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of suffering
Verb
  • 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
  • The internet may be full of people who want to outlaw leaf blowers, but misophonic triggers tend to share a bodily quality, an aurally traceable culprit such as a person crunching or sighing.
    — Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Definition of sighing
Adjective
  • The beloved bald eagle and her partner, Shadow, had fans across the world captivated through Friends of Big Bear Valley's live-stream nest camera, and Jackie's death has left thousands heartbroken.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Lyman Dawkins, mayor of Gaffney, said he was heartbroken over news of the shooting.
    — Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Noun
  • The crowd erupted, some cheering and others brought to tears, a collective wave of emotion rolling over us as the sky went dark.
    — Annissa Durar, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Through tears, Duarte described seeing footage of four men who wore ski masks and carried rifles getting out of a minivan and forcing her son and Ruelas into a second car.
    — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of tears

Browse Nearby Words

grieves (for)
grieving
grieving (for)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grieving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grieving. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on grieving

Nglish: Translation of grieving for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lackadaisical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All