Grief Meaning
/ɡɹiːf/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSuffering, hardship.
nounEmotional pain, generally arising from misfortune, significant personal loss, bereavement, misconduct of oneself or others, etc.; sorrow; sadness.
Sentence Examples
Crying is an expression of grief.
To weep is to make less the depth of grief.
The family expressed their deep grief after the sudden loss.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
After losing his dog, he felt deep ____ and could not stop crying.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The entire community shared in the family's deep ____ after the tragic loss of their youngest child.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English greef, gref, from Old French grief (“grave, heavy, grievous, sad”), from Latin gravis (“heavy, grievous, sad”). Doublet of grave.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And ſure, although it was invented to eaſe his mynde of griefe, there be a number of caveats therein to forewarne other young gentlemen to foreſtand with good government their folowing yl fortunes; […]"
— 1576, George Whetstone, “The Ortchard of Repentance: […]”, in The Rocke of Regard, […], London: […] [H. Middleton] for Robert Waley, →OCLC; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke of Regard, […] (Illustrations of Early English Poetry; vol. 2, no. 2), London: Privately printed, [1867?], →OCLC, page 291:
"Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 53:4:
"While ban and his pals stand squarely in this tradition, they also stand for something new: the rise of organized griefing, grounded in online message-board communities and thick with in-jokes, code words, taboos, and an increasingly articulate sense of purpose. No longer just an isolated pathology, griefing has developed a full-fledged culture."
— 2008 January 18, Julian Dibbell, “Mutilated Furries, Flying Phalluses: Put the Blame on Griefers, the Sociopaths of the Virtual World”, in Wired:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After losing his dog, he felt deep ____ and could not stop crying.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The entire community shared in the family's deep ____ after the tragic loss of their youngest child.