Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bereft

/bəˈɹɛft/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.80 in modern English

Syllables: bereft
IPA: /bəˈɹɛft/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past and past participle of bereave

adj

Pained by the loss of someone.

adj

Deprived of, stripped of, robbed of.

adj

Lacking, devoid of.

Example Sentences

"bereft of strength"
"bereft of gorm"
"I was utterly bereft in the months following my wife's death."
"[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."
"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; […]"
"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!"

Etymology

From Middle English bireft, v. Middle English bireven. Synchronically a form of bereaved; compare leave and left.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: bireft

Derived Forms

bereftness unbereft

Synonyms

barren destitute bereaved grief-stricken grieving mourning sorrowing lovelorn unbeloved

Rhymes With

left theft cleft deft heft tefft antitheft kreft eft weft effed reft

Questions

How do you pronounce bereft?: The recorded pronunciation is /bəˈɹɛft/.
What does bereft mean?: simple past and past participle of bereave
Where does bereft come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce bereft

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bereft”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bəˈɹɛft/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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