BEREAVEMENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bereavement mean? 

• BEREAVEMENT (noun)
  The noun BEREAVEMENT has 1 sense:

1. state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one

  Familiarity information: BEREAVEMENT used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BEREAVEMENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

State of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

bereavement; mourning

Hypernyms ("bereavement" is a kind of...):

sadness; sorrow; sorrowfulness (the state of being sad)

Derivation:

bereave (deprive through death)

 Context examples 

How long bereavement lasts can depend on how close you were to the person who died, if the person's death was expected and other factors.

(Bereavement, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

I longed to be his; I panted to return: it was not too late; I could yet spare him the bitter pang of bereavement.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

In some manner he had learned of my own sad bereavement, and his sympathy was shown in his manner rather than in his words.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“I was aware that you sustained a bereavement, sir, some time ago,” said Mr. Chillip.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Essential components of palliative care are: pain and symptom control, communication regarding treatment and alternatives, prognosis, and available services, rehabilitation services, care that addresses treatment and palliative concerns, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs, terminal care, support in bereavement.

(Palliative therapy, NCI Thesaurus)

Palliative care affirms life and regards dying as a normal process, neither hastens nor postpones death, provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms, integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care, offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death, and offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement.

(Hospice Care, NCI Thesaurus)

Bereavement is the period of grief and mourning after a death.

(Bereavement, NIH: National Cancer Institute)