grief
(redirected from grieves)Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
grief
(grēf)n.
1.
a. Deep mental anguish, as that arising from bereavement, or an instance of this. See Synonyms at regret.
b. A source or cause of deep mental anguish: "That knowledge would be a grief to her" (Tobias Wolff).
2.
a. Annoyance or frustration, or an instance of this: Trying to follow their directions was nothing but grief.
b. Trouble or difficulty, or an instance of this: the griefs of trying to meet a deadline.
c. Informal Criticism or rude talk: gave me a lot of grief about being late.
3. Archaic A grievance.
[Middle English, from Old French, from grever, to harm, aggrieve; see grieve.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
grief
(ɡriːf)n
1. deep or intense sorrow or distress, esp at the death of someone
2. something that causes keen distress or suffering
3. informal trouble or annoyance: people were giving me grief for leaving ten minutes early.
4. come to grief informal to end unsuccessfully or disastrously
5. tune someone grief See tune17
[C13: from Anglo-French gref, from grever to grieve1]
ˈgriefless adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
grief
(grif)n.
1. keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.
2. a cause or occasion of keen distress or sorrow.
3. Informal. trouble; difficulty; annoyance: Don't let his silly remark give you grief.
Idioms: 1. come to grief, to suffer misfortune.
2. good grief, (used as an exclamation of dismay, surprise, or relief): Good grief, it's started to rain again!
[1175–1225; Middle English gref, grief < Anglo-French gref; see grieve]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Grief
See Also: SADNESS
- The eye, like a shattered mirror, multiplies the images of sorrow —Edgar Allen Poe
- Grief as constant as a cloud of black flies —James Crumley
- Grief deep as life or thought —Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- Grief floats off, spreading out thin like oil —Elizabeth Bishop
- Grief had flown away like a sparrow —Jean Stafford
- Grief holds him like a corset —Anon
- Grief is like a mine shaft, narrow and deep —Kenzaburo Oë
- Grief is to man as certain as the grave —George Crabbe
- Griefless as a rich man’s funeral —Sidney Dobell
- Grief … like a mallard with clipped wings circles me summer and winter, settled for life in my lie’s reedy lake —Denise Levertov The simile comes from the closing lines of Levertov’s poem, Visitant.
- Grief rolled across the space between us like a wash of salt water —Sue Grafton
- Grief sat on his chest like a dragon —Norman Garbo
- Griefs … pain me like a lingering disease —John Milton
- I felt as if my chest were banded, like a barrel, with iron straps of sorrow —John Hersey
- Man sheds his grief as his skin sheds rain —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Mourning had lain thick in the room, like dust —Belva Plain
- Mourn sore like doves —The Holy Bible/Isaiah
- The news of his death [Byron’s] came down upon my heart like a mass of lead —Thomas Carlyle
- Our sorrows are like thunder clouds, which seem black in the distance, but grow lighter as they approach —Jean Paul Richter
- Pure and complete sorrow is as impossible as pure and complete joy —Leo Tolstoy
- She had borne about with her for years like an arrow sticking in her heart the grief, the anguish —Virginia Woolf
- She wore her grief like a string of pearls —Anon
- Sorrow as true as bread —E. E. Cummings
- Sorrow is a kind of rust of the soul, which every new idea contributes in its passage to scour away —Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, August 28, 1750
- Sorrows are like tall angels with star-crowns in their hair —Margery Eldredge Howell
- Sorrows blurred around their edges, like a careless woman’s lipstick —Jean Thompson
- Sorrows, like rain, makes roses and mud —Austin O’Malley
- Sorrow was like the wind. It came in gusts —Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
- The stains of her grief became her as raindrops to the beaten rose —Edith Wharton
- There are peaks of anguish in life which establish themselves as peerless, like sharp ridges above a range —Davis Grubb
- Woman’s grief is like a summer storm, short as it is violent —Joanna Bailie
See Also: MEN AND WOMEN
- Wore his broken heart like a mourning band —Lael Tucker Wertenbaker
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  grief - intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)sorrow - an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement; "he tried to express his sorrow at her loss" |
| 2. | grief - something that causes great unhappiness; "her death was a great grief to John" negative stimulus - a stimulus with undesirable consequences |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
grief
noun sadness, suffering, pain, regret, distress, misery, agony, mourning, sorrow, woe, anguish, remorse, bereavement, heartache, heartbreak, mournfulness Their grief soon gave way to anger.
sadness delight, comfort, joy, cheer, happiness, consolation, rejoicing, solace, gladness
sadness delight, comfort, joy, cheer, happiness, consolation, rejoicing, solace, gladness
come to grief (Informal) fail, founder, break down, come unstuck, miscarry, fall flat on your face, meet with disaster So many marriages have come to grief over lack of money.
Quotations
"Grief is a species of idleness" [Dr. Johnson letter to Mrs Thrale]
"Grief is a species of idleness" [Dr. Johnson letter to Mrs Thrale]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
grief
nounMental anguish or pain caused by loss or despair:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أَسىًكآبَه، حُزْن، غَم
smutekžalzármutek
sorg
suru
žalost
sorg, harmur
深い悲しみ
슬픔
apimtas sielvartopakliūti į bėdą
bēdasnelaimeskumjas
žalost
sorg
ความเศร้าโศก
nỗi đau
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
grief
[ˈgriːf] nCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
grief
n → Leid nt, → Kummer m, → Gram m (geh); (because of loss) → große Trauer, Schmerz m, → Gram m (geh); to cause grief to somebody → jdn zutiefst betrüben; (death, loss also) → jdm großen Schmerz bereiten; (failure, sb’s behaviour also) → jdm großen Kummer bereiten; to come to grief → Schaden erleiden; (= be hurt, damaged) → zu Schaden kommen; (= fail) → scheitern
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
grief
[griːf] n (sorrow) → dolore m; (cause of sorrow) → dolore, penato come to grief (plan) → naufragare (person) → finire male
good grief! (fam) → mio Dio!
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
grief
(griːf) noun great sorrow or unhappiness. She was filled with grief at the news of her sister's death.
ˈgrief-stricken adjective overcome by very great grief. the grief-stricken widow.
come to grief to meet disaster; to fail. The project came to grief.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
grief
→ أَسىً zármutek sorg Kummer θλίψη duelo suru peine žalost dolore 深い悲しみ 슬픔 verdriet sorg smutek pesar горе sorg ความเศร้าโศก keder nỗi đau 悲痛Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
grief
n. pesar, aflicción;
___ reaction → reacciόn de aflicción.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
grief
n duelo, dolor m emocional por una pérdida, (due to death) luto; The five stages of grief in the Kübler-Ross model are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance..Las cinco etapas del duelo en el modelo de Kübler-Ross son la negación, ira, negociación, depresión y aceptación.English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.