bereft

adjective

be·reft bi-ˈreft How to pronounce bereft (audio)

: deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something

—usually used with of

both players are instantly bereft of their poise

A. E. Wier

: lacking something needed, wanted, or expected

—used with of

the book is … completely bereft of an index — The Times Literary Supplement (London)

: suffering the death of a loved one : bereaved

a bereft mother

Did you know?

In Old English, the verb berēafian meant "to plunder or rob." The modern equivalent (and descendant) of berēafian is bereave, a verb that implies that you have robbed or stripped someone of something, often suddenly and unexpectedly, and sometimes by force. Bereft comes from the past participle of bereave; Shakespeare uses the participle in The Merchant of Venice, when Bassanio tells Portia, "Madam, you have bereft me of all words." But by Shakespeare's day bereft was also being used as an adjective. The Bard uses it in The Taming of the Shrew, as a newly obedient and docile Katharina declares, "A woman mov'd is like a fountain troubled—muddy, … thick, bereft of beauty."

Example Sentences

She finds the child's mother, alone, who has apparently gone into the woods just to cry. The bereft mother is played by Julianne Moore.

Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 31 Jan. 2000 … made the tabloids when his wife ran off to France with her dentist and the bereft realtor placed a newspaper ad for a girl to adopt to keep him company.

Neal Gabler, Life: The Movie, 1998 It's not that the country was completely bereft of humor.

Joseph Contrevas, Newsweek, 6 June 1994 to one investigator, the bereft woman seemed to be taking the sudden death of her rich husband amazingly well a cheap motel completely bereft of all amenities

Recent Examples on the Web When they are ignored, a swath of people can be left bereft or endangered.

Maria Fleet, CNN, 4 Sep. 2022 This left Nevada with a roster completely bereft of experience and comparative talent.

Xl Media, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022 His beloved 1744 edition of Cicero was headed north along with nearly 6,500 other volumes, and the Sage of Monticello was bereft.

Maris Kreizman, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2022 While Sandlot was always described as a short-term waterfront concept, fans were nonetheless bereft at news that Sandlot would be closing for good at the end of last summer.

Christina Tkacik, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2022 But the team is maddeningly inconsistent, seemingly bereft of a clear idea of its optimal formation, and weak in key positions such as defensive midfield.

Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2022 And now, for the first time in its 86-year history, Gunstock is bereft of a management team.

Bill Donahue, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2022 Stray’s take on the city is obviously bereft of humans, and there’s a familiar cyberpunk story about a malicious corporation bubbling away in the background.

Wired, 20 July 2022 The bereft vole will eagerly press the lever to reunite.

Florence Williams, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2022 See More

单词	bereft
释义	bereft adjective be·reft bi-ˈreft 1 a : deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something —usually used with of both players are instantly bereft of their poise A. E. Wier b : lacking something needed, wanted, or expected —used with of the book is … completely bereft of an index — The Times Literary Supplement (London) 2 : suffering the death of a loved one : bereaved a bereft mother Did you know? In Old English, the verb berēafian meant "to plunder or rob." The modern equivalent (and descendant) of berēafian is bereave, a verb that implies that you have robbed or stripped someone of something, often suddenly and unexpectedly, and sometimes by force. Bereft comes from the past participle of bereave; Shakespeare uses the participle in The Merchant of Venice, when Bassanio tells Portia, "Madam, you have bereft me of all words." But by Shakespeare's day bereft was also being used as an adjective. The Bard uses it in The Taming of the Shrew, as a newly obedient and docile Katharina declares, "A woman mov'd is like a fountain troubled—muddy, … thick, bereft of beauty." Synonyms bereaved See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences She finds the child's mother, alone, who has apparently gone into the woods just to cry. The bereft mother is played by Julianne Moore. Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 31 Jan. 2000 … made the tabloids when his wife ran off to France with her dentist and the bereft realtor placed a newspaper ad for a girl to adopt to keep him company. Neal Gabler, Life: The Movie, 1998 It's not that the country was completely bereft of humor. Joseph Contrevas, Newsweek, 6 June 1994 to one investigator, the bereft woman seemed to be taking the sudden death of her rich husband amazingly well a cheap motel completely bereft of all amenities Recent Examples on the Web When they are ignored, a swath of people can be left bereft or endangered. Maria Fleet, CNN, 4 Sep. 2022 This left Nevada with a roster completely bereft of experience and comparative talent. Xl Media, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022 His beloved 1744 edition of Cicero was headed north along with nearly 6,500 other volumes, and the Sage of Monticello was bereft. Maris Kreizman, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2022 While Sandlot was always described as a short-term waterfront concept, fans were nonetheless bereft at news that Sandlot would be closing for good at the end of last summer. Christina Tkacik, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2022 But the team is maddeningly inconsistent, seemingly bereft of a clear idea of its optimal formation, and weak in key positions such as defensive midfield. Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2022 And now, for the first time in its 86-year history, Gunstock is bereft of a management team. Bill Donahue, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2022 Stray’s take on the city is obviously bereft of humans, and there’s a familiar cyberpunk story about a malicious corporation bubbling away in the background. Wired, 20 July 2022 The bereft vole will eagerly press the lever to reunite. Florence Williams, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2022 See More Word History Etymology see bereave First Known Use 1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Phrases Containing bereft bereft of bereft of Kids Definition bereft adjective be·reft bi-ˈreft 1 : not having something needed, wanted, or expected They passed miles of naked grapevines … bereft of their leaves. Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising 2 : bereaved a bereft mother bereft adjective 1 as in grieving suffering the death of a loved one to one investigator, the bereft woman seemed to be taking the sudden death of her rich husband amazingly well Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance grieving bereaved mourning weeping sad unhappy mournful distressed suffering widowed sorrowing melancholy orphaned lamenting crying miserable upset wailing bemoaning 2 as in devoid utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected a cheap motel completely bereft of all amenities Synonyms & Similar Words devoid void destitute bankrupt barren empty bare insufficient absent incomplete blank deficient vacant missing wanting fragmentary partial stark short fragmental innocent Antonyms & Near Antonyms full filled replete fraught provided rife flush brimming saturated furnished bursting supplied chockful packed crowded crammed stuffed loaded jammed bulging teeming chock-full fat thick abounding swarming jam-packed thronging See More
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bereft

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing bereft

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective