MEANING
The loss of someone close through death, or the condition of living after that loss.
Use it for
Life after death in a family, interrupted routines, social treatment of mourners.Locate grief in a real loss without assuming how visibly someone suffers.
Words that belong together
- recent bereavement
- family bereavement
- bereavement leave
On the page
After the bereavement, she stopped opening the nursery curtains.
Two bereavements in one winter left the household without an adult heir.
The steward granted her time away from the estate after the bereavement.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- bereavement
Usage notes
Primary category: gothic. Names a circumstance of loss rather than a required emotional reaction; grief can follow losses other than death. Usually uncountable; plural bereavements for distinct losses.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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