Showing results for "bereft"

• past participle of bereave.

bereft

American  

[bih-reft] / bɪˈrɛft /

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of bereave.

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adjective

1. deprived.

   They are bereft of their senses. He is bereft of all happiness.

bereft British  

/ bɪˈrɛft /

adjective

1. (usually foll by of) deprived; parted (from)

   bereft of hope

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Etymology

Origin of bereft

First recorded in 1525–35; be- + reft

Explanation

So, they took the thing you most loved, and you're never going to get it back. You've gone beyond just plain grief-stricken — you're bereft. The way in which bereft differs just from plain mournful or grief-stricken is in its sense of deprivation or lack. It can be used that way too, for example when you're bereft of words. It's the past tense of bereave, following the same pattern as leave and left. When you see your bereft relatives at a funeral, it's very sad, but if your friend says that their cookie is bereft of chocolate chips, you know they are using exaggerated language to be a little funny.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bereft

So bereft is the ideas cupboard that even notoriously mediocre 1990s films are being summoned back to life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

But warmer oceans are also often bereft of the high-energy prey these juvenile salmon need for rapid growth when they reach the saltwater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Just two years ago, Naomi Osaka was struggling to understand why a sport that was "as simple as breathing to me" was leaving her bereft.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Last week’s men’s tournament at London’s Queen’s Club, an important warm-up for Wimbledon, was bereft of top-10 players.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

I suspect she did not want me to feel bereft at her departure and so was matter-of-fact.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela