Bereft
adjective /bɪˈreft/ — Desolate from the absence of something essential
Definition
Deprived of and greatly missing something — particularly a person or quality — in a way that leaves one incomplete and disoriented.
Beyond the definition
Grief in the shape of an absence. To be bereft is not just to be sad — it is to reach for something that is no longer there.
Origin & history
From Old English 'bereafian' (to rob, to plunder) — past participle 'bereafed', contracted to 'bereft'. To be bereft is to have been robbed.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Without her guiding presence, the team felt utterly bereft of direction.
Bereft is the word for after — after the loss, when the absence is the loudest thing in the room.
She was bereft, but she would not use the word. She said fine, as people do.
Synonyms
desolate, deprived, stripped, empty, forlorn
Antonyms
full, complete, whole, consoled
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Profound Absence in Quiet Room
A person sits in a dim room gazing at an empty chair, the somber lighting emphasizing their sense of profound loss and isolation.
Bereft means to be deprived of something, leaving one disoriented and incomplete. The image of the empty chair perfectly visualizes this state of missing a person whose absence dominates the environment, showing how the lack of a loved one can disorient an individual within their own home space.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration