bereaved

bereaved
bereaved, bereft
The verb bereave, meaning ‘to deprive (someone)’, is normally used in the passive. When the meaning refers in general ways to possessions, feelings, etc., the past participle is bereft:

• Without her, he felt bereft as a child at a boarding school —A. N. Wilson, 1982.

Strictly, there should be a sense of being deprived; bereft of should not be used as a synonym for lacking or without (as in bereft of manners). In the context of death the form is bereaved

• (If it is your own mother who is bereaved, the fact that you are grieving too will probably help you both a good deal —E. Deeping, 1979)

and this is frequently used adjectivally

• (It needs to be remembered that bereaved people stay at home —J. Pardoe, 1991

• The bereaved have always wished to ‘remember’ their dead, in the literal sense of reconstituting form and feature —R. Cecil, 1991).


Modern English usage. 2014.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • bereaved — [bērēvd′] adj. grieving over the death of a relative or friend the bereaved the survivors of a person who has died recently …   English World dictionary

  • bereaved — e*reaved (b[ e]*r[=e]v ), adj. mourning due to the death of a loved one. Syn: bereft, grief stricken, grieving, mourning(prenominal), sorrowing(prenominal). [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bereaved — index disconsolate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • bereaved — [[t]bɪri͟ːvd[/t]] ADJ: usu ADJ n A bereaved person is one who has a relative or close friend who has recently died. Mr Dinkins visited the bereaved family to offer comfort. N PLURAL: the N The bereaved are people who are bereaved. He wanted to… …   English dictionary

  • Bereaved — Bereave Be*reave (b[ e]*r[=e]v ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bereaved} (b[ e]*r[=e]vd ), {Bereft} (b[ e]*r[e^]ft ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Bereaving.}] [OE. bireven, AS. bere[ a]fian. See {Be }, and {Reave.}] [1913 Webster] 1. To make destitute; to deprive;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bereaved — be|reaved [bıˈri:vd] adj [: Old English; Origin: bereafian, from reafian to rob ] 1.) having lost a close friend or relative because they have recently died ▪ a bereaved mother 2.) the bereaved the person or people whose close friend or relative… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • bereaved — adjective formal 1 having lost a close friend or relative because they have recently died: a bereaved mother 2 the bereaved the person or people whose close friend or relative has just died: Our sympathies go to the bereaved …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • bereaved — I. adjective Date: 1799 suffering the death of a loved one II. noun (plural bereaved) Date: 1815 one who is bereaved …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • bereaved — /bi reevd /, adj. 1. (of a person) greatly saddened at being deprived by death of a loved one. n. 2. a bereaved person or persons (usually prec. by the): to extend condolences to the bereaved. [1100 50; ME bireved, late OE bireafod (ptp.); see… …   Universalium

  • bereaved — adj. VERBS ▪ be ADVERB ▪ newly, recently ▪ a recently bereaved family Bereaved is used with these nouns: ↑family, ↑relative …   Collocations dictionary

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