GRIEVING Synonyms: 181 Similar and Opposite Words

grieving 1 of 3

adjective

as in weeping

expressing or suggesting mourning the grieving sobs of the widow could be heard throughout the funeral service

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grieving

2 of 3

noun

as in mourning

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

grieving

3 of 3

verb

present participle of grieve

as in aching

to feel deep sadness or mental pain we all grieved over the lost cat

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grieving

Noun

Or that most people know him only as a grieving spouse, and he was elected out of sympathy? — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 This horrendous act leads a grieving but determined Ruthye to Kara Zor-El, dead set on exacting revenge for the killings and using our Supergirl to help get her to the culprit. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 24 June 2026 Sallie West has since opened her front door to the grieving. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 Traumatized into silence, the de facto orphan stays living with the kindly but guilt-ridden, grieving and impecunious Hiroshi. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 June 2026 The grieving in the sense of mourning and crying and all that might stop, but the pain is going to be there. — Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026 Is this part of a process of grieving or one of denial? — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026 The search for answers is one step in a long grieving process. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 Hughes remembered as a spiritual leader While there have been public honors for Hughes – his smiling yearbook photo was displayed on the scoreboard overlooking the football field – much of the grieving in this community of about 200,000 people is playing out in private. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026

Verb

Crump was flanked by three sets of grieving Black families who have all lost their sons in recent months. — Ryan Young, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 The grieving husband said Soto de Guzman wanted to take their son to Santo Domingo on the day after she was killed and had already booked a flight, but the son was in the midst of a mental health crisis. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 The loneliness of the long-distance grieving survivalist is the main preoccupation of The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott’s moody, surprisingly sensitive adaptation of Scott Heller’s 2012 novel. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026 In the film, a grieving couple retreats to an isolated estate where the walls record every word — and a presence learns to speak in their voices. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026 The death has left Pomares grieving and frustrated over what can be done about the crocodile. — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 This coming-of-age story centers on a boy’s summer trip to Denmark with his broken and grieving family, a small book focusing on just a few days but covering big emotions. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 After connecting online last year, McCall, Leffler and a third grieving mother named Deborah Royal launched the Seen Movement, a suicide prevention organization advocating for change in systems’ response to people in crisis. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Oliver has been grieving throughout training camp and many of his teammates only learned of the tragic accident on Friday. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grieving

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Verb

Green lasers shot out into the crowd, revealing the faces of fans who’d waited all night on aching feet to see their favorites.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
The 49ers have been aching to develop a draftee into a star, and Stribling might be their best shot since drafting Purdy in 2022.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of aching

Adjective

The killings wiped out members from four generations, said Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses and was authorized to release the details.

— David K. Li, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
The Daily Mail reported that Andrew remains on a confidential government list of royal family members with funeral plans prepared in advance.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of funeral

Noun

A great deal of flourishing and suffering happens between people, not just within them, because human beings are relational beings.

— David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Experts have cautioned that Iran’s repressive regime is unlikely to be swayed by the suffering of ordinary citizens and is prepared to wait out economic hardship longer than Americans can endure high gas prices.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of suffering

Verb

The soundtrack—by the frequent Hans Zimmer collaborator David Fleming—is a delight, a polyphonic mood board of ghost-clangs, spooky bassoons, lyrical electro-motifs, and sighing sea themes.

— James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
The internet may be full of people who want to outlaw leaf blowers, but misophonic triggers tend to share a bodily quality, an aurally traceable culprit such as a person crunching or sighing.

— Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Definition of sighing

Adjective

Fans across Kansas City posted heartbroken notes of appreciation for the country legend.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Speaking during a recent career retrospective hosted by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the 71-year-old actor revealed that his Thelma & Louise co-star left him heartbroken.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Cite this Entry

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“Grieving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grieving. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of grieving

adjective

noun

verb

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