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

Bereft of American chips and technology, Huawei has been forced to redesign and remanufacture all of its legacy products to ensure they contain no American components.

From New York Times • Jul. 12, 2023

Bereft and looking for economic opportunity, she gathered her children — Edwin, 9, Claudia, 6, and Kevin, 2 — and headed north with her beloved teenage brother.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2023

Bereft of its symbol of continuity and resilience, Britain begins its new era in grave economic crisis, marked by ructions with Europe and a populace disaffected by years of political strife and scandal.

From Reuters • Sep. 9, 2022

Bereft of his goalscoring colossus, Van Bronckhorst cannot play so directly through the middle.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2022

Bereft of players and properties, it bore no resemblance to a castle in Denmark.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood