grieve

[ greev ]

verb (used without object)

, grieved, griev·ing.

1. to feel grief or great sorrow:

   She has grieved over his death for nearly three years.

   Synonyms: suffer, bemoan, bewail, weep, lament

verb (used with object)

, grieved, griev·ing.

1. to distress mentally; cause to feel grief or sorrow:

   It grieves me to see you so unhappy.

   Synonyms: pain, sadden

2. Archaic. to oppress or wrong.

grieve

¹

/ ɡriːv /

verb

1. to feel or cause to feel great sorrow or distress, esp at the death of someone
2. obsolete.
   tr to inflict injury, hardship, or sorrow on

grieve

²

/ ɡriːv /

noun

1. a farm manager or overseer

Derived Forms

• ˈgriever, noun
• ˈgrieving, nounadjective
• ˈgrievingly, adverb

Other Words From

• griev·ed·ly [gree, -vid-lee, greevd, -], adverb
• griever noun
• grieving·ly adverb
• non·grieved adjective
• non·grieving adjective
• over·grieve verb overgrieved overgrieving
• un·grieved adjective
• un·grieving adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grieve¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English greven, grieven, from Old French grever, from Latin gravāre “to burden,” verb derivative of gravis “heavy”; grave ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of grieve¹

C13: from Old French grever, from Latin gravāre to burden, from gravis heavy

Origin of grieve²

C15: from Old English (Northumbrian) græfa reeve

Synonym Study

Grieve, mourn imply showing suffering caused by sorrow. Grieve is the stronger word, implying deep mental suffering often endured alone and in silence but revealed by one's aspect: to grieve over the loss (or death ) of a friend. Mourn usually refers to manifesting sorrow outwardly, either with or without sincerity: to mourn publicly and wear black.

Example Sentences

Friends have told me of being randomly shown romantic holiday pictures taken with an ex who broke their heart, or of a deceased family member while they were trying to grieve.

From Slate

"Because I was so injured and ill myself, it was really hard to be able to grieve the loss of Oscar," she said.

From BBC

“That was something I had to grieve for a while,” she told Vanity Fair in an interview published two months ago.

From Los Angeles Times

A woman says her family have been unable to grieve the death of her grandmother after a "hospital nightmare".

From BBC

We grieve with the devastated neighbors and people of our community whenever we learn of another gun-related tragedy, but too often, we fail to acknowledge the trauma that comes with it.

From Salon

Related Words

• ache
• cry
• lament
• regret
• wail
• weep