Bereft Meaning
/bəˈɹɛft/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbsimple past and past participle of bereave
adjPained by the loss of someone.
Sentence Examples
He was bereft of all hope.
She was bereft of all hope.
Men who were bereft of reason conducted the war.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the scandal, he felt ____ of all dignity and respect.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The forest was ____ of any life after the devastating wildfire.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English bireft, v. Middle English bireven. Synchronically a form of bereaved; compare leave and left.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[Oscar] Pistorius's punishment for killing her [Reeva Steenkamp] that night is but a frippery when set against the burden that her bereft parents, June and Barry, must carry."
— 2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport):
"And there I strove, and there I clove through the drift of icy streams; / And there I fought, and there I sought for the pay-streak of my dreams. // So twenty years, with their hopes and fears and smiles and tears and such, / Went by and left me long bereft of hope of the Midas touch; […]"
— 1909, Robert W[illiam] Service, “The Ballad of One-eyed Mike”, in Ballads of a Cheechako, Toronto, Ont.: William Briggs, →OCLC, stanzas 3–4, page 52:
"This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It’s expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! It’s a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies!"
— 1969 December 7, Monty Python, “Full Frontal Nudity, Dead Parrot sketch”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus, spoken by Mr Praline (John Cleese):
"The hosts had not lost in 12 home European games but looked shaky at the back and bereft of attacking ideas, inviting Stoke forward for further opportunities."
— 2011 November 3, David Ornstein, “Macc Tel-Aviv 1–2 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the scandal, he felt ____ of all dignity and respect.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The forest was ____ of any life after the devastating wildfire.