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bereaved

American  
[bih-reevd] / bɪˈrivd /

adjective

  1. (of a person) greatly saddened at being deprived by death of a loved one.

noun

  1. Usually the bereaved a bereaved person or persons.

    to extend condolences to the bereaved.
bereaved British  
/ bɪˈriːvd /

adjective

  1. having been deprived of something or someone valued, esp through death

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unbereaved adjective

Etymology

Origin of bereaved

First recorded in 1100–50; Middle English bireved, late Old English birēafod (past participle); bereave, -ed 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When reporters showed up to get the scoop, her bereaved sons insisted that Kate “died a firm believer” in the spirits.

From Literature

He added: "We respectfully suggest not but we understand why the bereaved and survivors are concerned by the failure to execute the warrant, and I repeat, we do not seek to defend that failure."

From BBC

Taylor said of the bereaved families and survivors: "In getting to this point, they've climbed mountains only to find that they reached false summit after false summit."

From BBC

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he takes the concerns of bereaved families "extremely seriously" after acknowledging trust had been "damaged" around a promised Leeds maternity care inquiry.

From BBC

"We went to visit the parents of the bereaved and that was very sad but we needed to do things like that," Mair said.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.