bereft

[bih-reft]

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verb

a simple past tense and past participle of bereave.

adjective

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

Origin of bereft

First recorded in 1525–35; be- + reft

bereave

[bih-reev]

verb (used with object), be·reaved or be·reft, be·reav·ing.

to deprive and make desolate, especially by death (usually followed by of): Illness bereaved them of their mother.

to deprive ruthlessly or by force (usually followed by of): The war bereaved them of their home.

Obsolete. to take away by violence.

Origin of bereave

before 900; Middle English bereven, Old English berēafian; cognate with Dutch berooven, German berauben, Gothic biraubōn. See be-, reave¹

Related formsbe·reave·ment, nounbe·reav·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bereft

destitute, devoid, impoverished, minus, naked, stripped, wanting, without, deprived, beggared, bereaved, dispossessed, fleeced, robbed, shorn

Examples from the Web for bereft

Contemporary Examples of bereft

Bereft of a competitive 2016 primary, Democrats are backing candidates for Clinton campaign manager.
The Race to Be Hillary’s Karl Rove
David Freedlander
November 26, 2014
They happened to men, to women, to young and old, to scientists and sailors, to the bereft and to the content.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death
Patricia Pearson
August 11, 2014
Kirsty, understandably, was not impressed at being dumped on her dream day, and her bereft wail filled the church.
America, Presenting Your New Addiction: ‘The Archers’
Tim Teeman
April 25, 2014
One lost game and he seems as bereft and broken as Willy Loman.
The All-American Abuse of ‘Friday Night Tykes’
Tim Teeman
January 23, 2014
One about teens battling to the death, and several about bereft middle-aged people struggling to keep it together.
Whatever Happened to Great Holiday Films?
Liesl Schillinger
December 1, 2013

Historical Examples of bereft

She rested supinely against him, as if bereft of any strength of body or of soul.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Upbraid me with the loss of all of which you have bereft me.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Had he, too, been bereft in the hour of his proud and perfect joy?
Vivian Grey
Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli
For a moment Nuttall was bereft of speech by such ingratitude.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
The knight's words restored to him the courage of which Rosamund's had bereft him.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for bereft

bereft

adjective

(usually foll by of) deprived; parted (from)bereft of hope

bereave

verb (tr)

(usually foll by of) to deprive (of) something or someone valued, esp through death

obsolete to remove by force

Word Origin for bereave

Old English bereafian; see reave 1

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

Word Origin and History for bereft

adj.

late 14c., past participle adjective from bereave (v.).

bereave

Old English bereafian "to deprive of, take away, seize, rob," from be + reafian "rob, plunder," from Proto-Germanic *raubojanan, from PIE *reup- "to snatch" (see rapid). A common Germanic formation (cf. Old Frisian birava "despoil," Old Saxon biroban, Dutch berooven, Old High German biroubon, German berauben, Gothic biraubon). Since mid-17c., mostly in reference to life, hope, loved ones, and other immaterial possessions. Past tense forms bereaved and bereft have co-existed since 14c., now slightly differentiated in meaning, the former applied to loss of loved ones, the latter to circumstances.