grief-stricken
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does grief-stricken mean? Grief-stricken means overwhelmed or strongly affected by grief—mental or emotional suffering or distress caused by loss or regret. It’s especially used to describe a person who is feeling intense sorrow and loss from the death of a loved one. The word stricken is the past participle of the verb strike, but it can also be used as an adjective meaning the same thing as afflicted. The word grief can also be used in the context of other situations involving loss, such as a divorce or the loss of a job, but grief-stricken is usually only used to describe those who are feeling grief due to a death. In other words, those who are grief-stricken are usually those who are grieving or mourning. Example: She was absolutely grief-stricken after the loss of her mother.
Etymology
Origin of grief-stricken
First recorded in 1900–05
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.
Following the release of excerpts from Spencer's new book, a source told the Sun that a "grief-stricken Charles fought for his ex-wife to have a royal funeral", the paper says.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Jota was hugely-popular as a team-mate and player, leaving those at Liverpool grief-stricken.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
A grief-stricken community in northern Canada will mourn with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, who is headed to the remote town of Tumbler Ridge to honor victims of a mass shooting.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
We’ll see visions of a medium, hear fragmented remembrances and explore a trail while discovering a tale that feels like an intimate glimpse into a grief-stricken past.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
But he remembered the kindness in the brown eyes, the patience she’d had with his grief-stricken stupor.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
