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bereavement
[ bih-reev-muhnt ]
noun
- a period of mourning after a loss, especially after the death of a loved one:
The widow had many visitors during her bereavement.
- a state of intense grief, as after the loss of a loved one; desolation:
Not all therapists are equipped to treat clients suffering with such debilitating bereavement.
- deprivation or loss by force (usually followed by of ):
The bereavement of our community began with the closing of the mill.
bereavement
/ bɪˈriːvmənt /
noun
- the condition of having been deprived of something or someone valued, esp through death
- a death
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Word History and Origins
Origin of bereavement1
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Example Sentences
When most people think about grief, “they go immediately to bereavement loss,” said Litsa Williams, a licensed clinical social worker and co-founder of the online support community What’s Your Grief.
“We’ve seen a rise in creative bereavements,” Pitsillides says.
If you’re lucky enough to have guaranteed bereavement time, it’s likely still restricted to immediate relatives.
Every single grief expert Fortune spoke to criticized the country’s lack of federally guaranteed bereavement time—and the few days generally provided by the employers who do offer it.
Only Oregon has passed a law guaranteeing bereavement leave to workers employed in the state, although a similar bill has been under consideration in California.
The stages of heartbreak are similar to the recognized stages of bereavement: shock, denial, grief, anger, finally acceptance.
Bereavement is one of those things Western society is not very good at, particularly the British.
Have you had bereavement or other catastrophic disruptions in your recent life?
And death and bereavement are hardly the only troubles that this conflict brings to a Palestinian childhood.
In this group, when bereavement turns into depression, it requires immediate clinical attention and evaluation.
Loss, where she was concerned, involved a permanent and irremediable bereavement—no substitute was conceivable.
In moments of utter bereavement who has not felt, to the heart's core, the tender attachment of a faithful dog?
For the moment the child was hers, she suffered pangs of maternal bereavement that seemed to tear her breast and twist her heart.
I hand on your own advice to you in case you have forgotten it, as I know one is apt to do in seasons of bereavement.
One outward sign only remained of his late bereavement—his mourning dress.
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Related Words
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More About Bereavement
What does bereavement mean?
Bereavement is a period of mourning or or state of intense grief, especially following the death of a loved one.
Bereavement is often a process that includes going through several stages of grief. Bereavement can also be used more generally to mean the state of having lost something very dear.
Example: While on bereavement leave from work, Jenn coped with her loss by spending time in nature and talking to a therapist.
Where does bereavement come from?
Bereavement is first recorded in English around the 1730s. It is based on the much older word bereave, meaning “to take away or deprive, especially by death” (it has two past tense and adjective forms: bereaved and bereft). The suffix -ment, which indicates a state, is used to turn it into a noun. Bereave is related to the word reave, which means “to rob.” The word grieve sounds similar but is based on a different root, the Latin word gravāre, meaning “to burden.”
Bereavement is often thought of as the state of having been robbed of a loved one who has been taken away by death. That robbery leaves the heavy burden of grief. There are many different rituals associated with bereavement around the world. Many include a specific amount of time set aside for mourning. Relatedly, the word is sometimes used in the phrase bereavement leave, which is time off from work after a close relative dies. Of course, the intense sadness felt after the loss of a family member or friend doesn’t just expire after a certain amount of time. And it can often be more than just an emotion. Going through bereavement can result in a variety of psychological and even physical symptoms, such as weight loss and insomnia.
A person going through bereavement is often referred to as the bereaved. If this is you, we hope you find peace.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms of bereavement?
- bereave (verb)
What are some synonyms for bereavement?
What are some words that share a root or word element with bereavement?
What are some words that often get used in discussing bereavement?
How is bereavement used in real life?
Bereavement can be used generally to describe a state of loss, but it is most commonly applied to a period of mourning for a loved one.
The MTA only gives their employees a standard THREE DAYS bereavement leave.
THREE DAYS?!
That is barbaric.
— Morgan Jerkins (@MorganJerkins) February 26, 2020
Experienced similarly poor service with banks following bereavement. People die everyday yet banks seem incapable of sympathetic and efficient service and just add to the stress of an already stressful situation. Any banks listening? Improving ur service would be an easy win. https://t.co/YrbBDyOHP5
— Fourth sister (@Six_Sisters) February 26, 2020
Sadly, almost all of us experience bereavement some time in our lives. At the NHS we do our utmost to support people through it. Our Hospital Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care team has produced a booklet to guide loved ones through grief and next steps pic.twitter.com/l0N0vzxUK6
— Croydon Quality Improvement (@CroydonQI) February 26, 2020
Try using bereavement!
Is bereavement used correctly in the following sentence?
Part of the bereavement process can include changes such as decreased appetite.
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