From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
bereaved \be*reaved"\ (b[-e]*r[=e]v"), adj.
mourning due to the death of a loved one.
Syn: bereft, grief-stricken, grieving, mourning(prenominal),
sorrowing(prenominal).
[WordNet 1.5]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Bereave \Be*reave"\ (b[-e]*r[=e]v"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Bereaved (b[-e]*r[=e]vd"), Bereft (b[-e]*r[e^]ft"); p.
pr. & vb. n. Bereaving.] [OE. bireven, AS. bere['a]fian.
See Be-, and Reave.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To make destitute; to deprive; to strip; -- with of before
the person or thing taken away.
[1913 Webster]
Madam, you have bereft me of all words. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Bereft of him who taught me how to sing. --Tickell.
[1913 Webster]
2. To take away from. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
All your interest in those territories
Is utterly bereft you; all is lost. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. To take away. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Shall move you to bereave my life. --Marlowe.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The imp. and past pple. form bereaved is not used in
reference to immaterial objects. We say bereaved or
bereft by death of a relative, bereft of hope and
strength.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: To dispossess; to divest.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
bereaved
adj 1: sorrowful through loss or deprivation; "bereft of hope"
[syn: bereaved, bereft, grief-stricken, grieving,
{mourning(a)}, {sorrowing(a)}]
n 1: a person who has suffered the death of someone they loved;
"the bereaved do not always need to be taken care of" [syn:
bereaved, bereaved person]