grief

noun

1
a
: deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement
his grief over his son's death
b
: a cause of such suffering
life's joys and griefs
2
a
: trouble, annoyance
enough grief for one day
b
: annoying or playful criticism
getting grief from his friends
c
: an unfortunate outcome : disaster
used chiefly in the phrase come to grief
3
obsolete : grievance sense 2
Choose the Right Synonym for grief

sorrow, grief, anguish, woe, regret mean distress of mind.

sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

Examples of grief in a Sentence

He has been unable to recover from his grief at his son's death. She was overcome with grief. the joys and griefs of our lives I've had enough grief for one day. Trying to fix the computer isn't worth the grief. He's taken a lot of grief from his friends. His friends have been giving him a lot of grief.
Recent Examples on the Web In the month since her sister was killed, DeLoach has tried distracting herself from the grief by working on preparations for the funeral and celebration of life, which were held Saturday. Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Mar. 2024 Baker chose not to shrug off this accusation, insisting that Monica's grief over Fabio's murder was intense and sincere. Greg Fisher, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 No mother ever expects to outlive and bury her children and as a mother, the depth and breadth of my grief are beyond measure. Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 In that moment, the two of them broke down on the phone, the physical distance between them collapsed by grief. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple While Randolph is moving as the prep school cook devastated by grief, her sweep of every significant supporting actress honor this awards season seems like a hive-mind choice. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 His death caused a major outpouring of grief and his family formed a scholarship in his name, Mission Local reported at the time. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Since October 7th, Columbia has been wrenched by protests, rage, and grief, with students, faculty, and alumni drawing rhetorical battle lines in support of either Israel or Palestine—yet Doerries expressed no trepidation. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Consumed by grief, mother Anada (Tannishtha Chatterjee) sets out to find the truth about who is accountable. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grief.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gref, from Anglo-French gref, grief injustice, calamity, from gref, adjective heavy, grievous, from Vulgar Latin *grevis, alteration of Latin gravis — see grieve

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of grief was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near grief

Cite this Entry

“Grief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grief. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

grief

noun
1
a
: deep sorrow : sadness
b
: a cause of sorrow
2
a
: things that cause problems
enough grief for one day
b
: an unfortunate happening
the boat came to grief on the rocks

Medical Definition

grief

noun
: deep and poignant emotional distress caused by or as if by bereavement
Although, there is no consensus on the defining features that would distinguish normal and pathological grief, it is generally accepted that grief becomes pathological when the reactions are excessive, prolonged, or unresolved.Jaye Wald and Rosemarie Alvaro, The Journal of Rehabilitation
also : a cause of such suffering

More from Merriam-Webster on grief

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