grief

[ greef ]

noun

1. keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.

   Synonyms: moroseness, melancholy, sadness, misery, woe, heartache, anguish

   Antonyms: joy

2. a cause or occasion of keen distress or sorrow.

verb (used with or without object)

, griefed, grief·ing.

1. Digital Technology.
   1. (in an online video game) to behave in an unsportsmanlike way or take pleasure in antagonizing (other players):

      I reported the jerk who griefed me yesterday—I hope they ban his account.

   2. to exploit a glitch or execute an online prank that ruins a website or other online experience for (users):

      Posting flashing content to an epilepsy site is taking griefing to a malicious and dangerous extreme.

grief

/ ɡriːf /

noun

1. deep or intense sorrow or distress, esp at the death of someone
2. something that causes keen distress or suffering
3. informal.
   trouble or annoyance

   people were giving me grief for leaving ten minutes early

4. come to grief informal.
   to end unsuccessfully or disastrously
5. tune someone grief
   See tune

Derived Forms

• ˈgriefless, adjective

Other Words From

• griefless adjective
• griefless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grief¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English gref, grief, from Anglo-French gref; grieve

Word History and Origins

Origin of grief¹

C13: from Anglo-French gref, from grever to grieve ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. come to grief, to suffer disappointment, misfortune, or other trouble; fail:

   Their marriage came to grief after only two years.

2. good grief, (used as an exclamation of dismay, surprise, or relief ):

   Good grief, it's started to rain again!

More idioms and phrases containing grief

see come to grief ; good grief .

Synonym Study

See sorrow.

Example Sentences

Some are funny and light, and others attempt to speak for a world that’s become mired in grief.

From Vox

As a culture, we don’t seem to recognize the loss of intimacy or closeness in a relationship as legitimate grief.

From Washington Post

Pitched from that home, he becomes home unto himself—home at the speed of light but slower than the speed of grief.

From Nautilus

As Katz makes her way through the world, carrying grief and shame and secrets with her all the while, readers will hope for an easing of her burdens.

From Washington Post

Flipping between the voices of the family members, Hobson depicts the lingering effects of trauma, and the way grief informs memory and love.

From Time

Though tissues are present and tears are not uncommon, the Dinner Parties are distinctly not grief counseling or group therapy.

From The Daily Beast

It warps them and yet makes them, and horrifies them both as it does so—just as grief does.

From The Daily Beast

Energy is sucked from them, the world around them becomes impossible—the Babadook of grief and loss exerts its force everywhere.

From The Daily Beast

The grief in this house is extreme of course; this is a horror movie, after all.

From The Daily Beast

Amelia says some truly terrible things to Sam, supposedly inhabited by the Babadook but really consumed in grief.

From The Daily Beast

A little boy of four was moved to passionate grief at the sight of a dead dog taken from a pond.

From Project Gutenberg

They wanted Papa and Mamma, gone to Bombay beyond the seas, and their grief while it lasted was without remedy.

From Project Gutenberg

Then I hesitated no longer, but turned away and left her alone with her grief; it was not for me to comfort her.

From Project Gutenberg

Then waves of grief broke over her, and she sobbed convulsively; but still she shed no tears.

From Project Gutenberg

In a statuesque attitude, she sat, like Marius on the ruins of Carthage, or Patience on a monument smiling at grief.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• agony
• anguish
• bereavement
• despair
• discomfort
• gloom
• heartache
• heartbreak
• melancholy
• misery
• mourning
• pain
• regret
• remorse
• sadness
• sorrow
• trouble
• unhappiness
• woe
• worry

More About Grief

What does grief mean?

Grief is mental or emotional suffering or distress caused by loss or regret. It’s especially used to refer to the feeling of sorrow and loss from the death of a loved one.

People who are overwhelmed by grief are often described as grief-stricken. This kind of grief is most commonly associated with death, but the word can also be used in the context of other situations involving loss, such as a divorce or the loss of a job.

The related verb grieve means to mourn—to feel or express intense grief, especially due to a death or loss.

The word grief is also used informally to mean trouble or annoyance, as in Please don’t give your mother any grief when she gets home—her day has been hard enough already. 

Grief is used in the phrase good grief, which is typically used to express alarm or dismay.

Grief is also used in the context of online gaming as a slang term that means something similar to the verb sense of troll—to take pleasure in antagonizing others.

Example: I can’t imagine the amount of grief you feel from the loss of your mother.

Where does grief come from?

The first records of the word grief come from around 1200. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb gravāre, meaning “to burden,” from gravis, “heavy.” The same root forms the basis of the words gravity and the adjective grave meaning “serious.”

The popular theory that there are five stages of grief was developed by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. According to Kübler-Ross, the five stages of grief are:

1. Denial (This stage involves difficulty believing that what has happened is real.)
2. Anger (This involves frustration that it has happened to you.)
3. Bargaining (This can involve thinking about “what if” and trying to find some way out of what has happened.)
4. Depression. (This involves the sorrow that comes with the realization that what has happened is real and nothing can be done to change it.)
5. Acceptance. (This stage involves accepting what has happened and attempting to move on.)

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to grief?

• griefless (adjective)
• grieflessness (adjective)

What are some synonyms for grief?

• bereavement
• sorrow
• sadness
• agony
• anguish
• despair
• misery
• trouble
• annoyance

What are some words that share a root or word element with grief? 

• grief-stricken
• good grief
• come to grief
• grieve
• grave
• gravity

What are some words that often get used in discussing grief?

• mourning
• death
• loss
• regret
• denial
• anger
• bargaining
• depression
• acceptance

How is grief used in real life?

Grief is especially used to refer to the sorrow felt after the death of a loved one. It’s also commonly used in an informal way to refer to trouble or annoyance.

Illness and death are the pandemic’s most feared consequences, but a collective sense of loss is perhaps its most pervasive. Around the globe, the pandemic has spread grief by degrees. https://t.co/cJnmKRQY8D

— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) October 12, 2020

Normalize NOT saying “everything happens for a reason” when talking to someone who is dealing with grief.

— river’s lil jetpack☿ BLM//1312🖤🤎🤍 (@voodooslxt) August 19, 2020

I finally did it. After paying for my gym for *ahem* years w/o going *ahem* ever, I finally called to quit. They didn't give me any grief because I clearly had paid my dues. Delayed, but some serious #adulting happening today.

— Susan Lee | 이선영 (@susanleewrites) November 30, 2017

 

 

Try using grief!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of grief?

A. sadness
B. sorrow
C. pleasure
D. bereavement