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The word abject emphasizes a very bad situation or quality, thereby making it even worse.
If you abridge a book or play, you make it shorter by making cuts to the original.
The adjective blithe indicates that someone does something casually or in a carefree fashion without much concern for the end result; as a result, they are happy and lighthearted.
Someone in a buoyant mood is in good spirits.
A convivial atmosphere or occasion is friendly, pleasant, cheerful, and relaxed.
If you are despondent, you are extremely unhappy because you are in an unpleasant situation that you do not think will improve.
Something that is dolorous, such as music or news, causes mental pain and sorrow because it itself is full of grief and sorrow.
Someone who is ebullient is filled with enthusiasm, very happy, and extremely excited about something.
An effervescent individual is lively, very happy, and enthusiastic.
If you exult, you show great pleasure and excitement, especially about something you have achieved.
If someone is lugubrious, they are looking very sad or gloomy.
If you are melancholy, you look and feel sad.
Someone who is morose is unhappy, bad-tempered, and unwilling to talk very much.
A plaintive sound or voice expresses sadness.
Plangent sounds are loud and tend to suggest sadness.
A poignant experience affects your feelings greatly in a painful or deeply emotional way, often causing sadness or pity.
If you suffer privation, you live without many of the basic things required for a comfortable life.
If you are sanguine about a situation, especially a difficult one, you are confident and cheerful that everything will work out the way you want it to.
Someone who is saturnine is looking miserable and sad, sometimes in a threatening or unfriendly way.
Someone who is woebegone is very sad and filled with grief.
Adj.
bereaved
bi-REEVD
Context
The bereaved widow wore a black veil for her husband’s funeral as she slowly walked beside the grim coffin down the crooked road. In her bereavement and loss, she wept silent tears and clung to the hand of her brother who supported her during this most difficult time. Although the widow was bereaved or deprived of her husband, she was not entirely alone since her friends offered her aid for many weeks and years to come.
Quiz:Try again!
When is someone bereaved?
After having suffered pain and injury in a terrible accident.
After having recently moved to a new home in a new city.
After having recently lost a close relative to death.
The Grim Reaper Takes Whom He Will The Grim Reaper, symbol of death, bereaves us of our loved ones seemingly and randomly at will, although we don't want to believe in his bereaving us any time soon.
Examples
The researchers found that soon after a death, acceptance becomes the most commonly felt emotion for the bereaved, rather than the expected disbelief or depression.
—
The Washington Post
In times of grief, people benefit from the support of a community, research suggests. In a study of 678 bereaved individuals, researchers found that having the support of friends, family, and community helpers made a more significant difference than having just one professional's help.
—
NPR
Strolling among the headstones, past dogwood and maples, oaks and evergreens, Neal can read what the bereaved saw in their pets. . . . they were cherished, like the dog named Rocky, who passed away last summer: "You were my reason for living."
—
The Washington Post
Cultures all over the world have these rituals where people take care of a bereaved person, and one thing these rituals do is connect the people who are present—the person they’re mourning may be gone, but they see that others are still here.
—
The Atlantic
When one has been bereaved of a beloved friend, that friend was “thoroughly taken” away, usually by means of death.
origin: Old English
Knowing language of origin or etymology is not important; but is sometimes interesting enough to make the word memorable. Only such words have associated maps.
Word Theater
YouTube: Paul McCartney on the Death of George Harrison Paul McCartney refers to the bereaved Olivia, the wife of George Harrison.
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!
Word Constellation
Click for an interactive map of this word
Related Words
abject ·
abridge ·
despondent ·
dolorous ·
lugubrious ·
melancholy ·
morose ·
plaintive ·
plangent ·
poignant ·
privation ·
saturnine ·
woebegone ·
blithe ·
buoyant ·
convivial ·
ebullient ·
effervescent ·
exult ·
sanguine ·
Similar sense
Opposite sense
Word Variants
bereft
adj
→
alternate form of "bereaved"
The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.
