First Known Use: circa 1731
Dictionary
bereavement
noun be·reave·ment \bi-ˈrēv-mənt, bē-\
: the state of being sad because a family member or friend has recently died
: the death of a family member or friend
Full Definition of BEREAVEMENT
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Examples of BEREAVEMENT
- The following May, my wife and I flew to London for my father's funeral. Pam, determined to wangle us an upgrade to business class on the strength of my bereavement, gave the British Airways ticketing clerk two passports and a sob story. —John Haney, Gourmet, January 2003
- In the sections of her book that should prove an enduring contribution to the literature of grief, Ms. Gilbert recounts her free fall into widowhood, starting with that modern rite of bereavement, the erasing of the answering-machine message. —James S. Kunen, New York Times Book Review, 19 Mar. 1995
- In any case, sadness and loss of interest and drive during periods of bereavement are expected and normal. If Mozart had not been upset by his parents' deaths, his wife's illnesses, and his separations from her, he would be less than human. —William A. Frosch, Musical Quarterly, 1990
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Origin of BEREAVEMENT
(see bereave)
Rhymes with BEREAVEMENT
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Next Word in the Dictionary: bereftPrevious Word in the Dictionary: bereaved All Words Near: bereavement
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