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grief-stricken

grief-stricken

12 6.7
Very sad and shocked after losing someone close
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡrifˌstrɪkən/
translation icon : desconsolado
  • After losing her husband, she was completely grief-stricken and struggled to cope with the world around her.
  • grief-stricken mother
  • grief-stricken families
  • grief-stricken father

They're anxious, they're grief stricken, they're resentful, they're angry.

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Examples

  • Grief-stricken, Murasaki spends much time in religious devotions, praying for her beloved's speedy return.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Grief-stricken, terrified... the huddled masses turn for comfort... to their devout spiritual leader... who... ever so humbly... assumes the throne... with the queen by his side.

  • Our hearts go out - to their grief-stricken parents.

  • I mean, I was grief-stricken.

    Academic text (2006)
  • So the family, of course, is completely grief stricken, but also really angry.

  • After all, I'm just as grief-stricken no matter where I am.

  • The woman was genuinely grief-stricken about it.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • How could I turn my back on the plight of this grief-stricken woman?

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Kyle supposed that the grief-stricken mother was seeing her lost daughter anew, and in some way alive, through a stranger's eyes.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Millions of apparently grief-stricken North Koreans turned out to mourn the late Dear Leader.

    Blog text (26)

Synonyms

distraught
vsgrief-stricken
86 7.2

Being very upset and worried so you cannot think clearly

is deep grief that overwhelms but may not include anxious agitation
heartbroken
vsgrief-stricken
67 3.2

Feeling very sad because of a loss or disappointment

is the intense sorrow felt particularly because of a loss
bereft
vsgrief-stricken
  • Literature
19 7.5

Feeling very sad and alone because someone you love or something important is missing

is intense grief focused on loss rather than general loneliness
mournful
vsgrief-stricken
18 3.9

Feeling deep sadness because of a loss

is stronger and more overwhelming than a calm sorrowful feeling
sorrowful
vsgrief-stricken
14 3.6

Feeling very sad because of loss or disappointment

is the more overwhelming, deeply affecting state of that same sadness
desolate
vsgrief-stricken
11 6.7

Feeling very unhappy and alone after a loss

is the strongly overwhelming grief resulting directly from loss
inconsolable
vsgrief-stricken
10 7.2

Very sad and not able to be comforted

is similarly deep sadness but not necessarily impossible to comfort
bereaved
vsgrief-stricken
  • Formal
10 7.4

Sad because someone they loved died

is deep sorrow from loss but not limited to death situations
brokenhearted
vsgrief-stricken
7 3.7

Feeling very sad because of a loss or disappointment

is overwhelmed by grief specifically as a result of loss
heartsick
vsgrief-stricken
6 6.3

Feeling very sad because of loss or disappointment

is the overwhelming grief state particularly linked to major loss
disconsolate
vsgrief-stricken
  • Literature
2 8.2

Very sad and not able to be comforted

is deep grief that may be intense but not always uncomfortably unfixable
heavy-hearted
vsgrief-stricken
1 5.4

Feeling very sad and weighed down inside

is more intense and overwhelming than this quieter heavy sadness
harrowed
vsgrief-stricken
1 7.7

Very upset and shocked after seeing or experiencing something terrible

is intense sadness tied specifically to loss rather than general torment
grieving
vsgrief-stricken
3.4

Feeling very sad after someone you love dies

is the acute overwhelming state caused by grief rather than the process
sorrowing
vsgrief-stricken
6.9

Feeling very sad because of a loss

is the particularly overwhelming form of sadness linked to loss
agonized
vsgrief-stricken
  • US
6.3

Feeling very strong pain or deep worry

is focused specifically on overwhelming grief rather than general anguish

Antonyms

66 5.4

Able to recover quickly after problems or hard times

3 3.9

Not changed or harmed by something and not showing strong feeling

How Sad

inconsolable
10 7.2
grief-stricken
12 6.7
sorrowful
14 3.6
sad
1.0

Surface Forms

grief-stricken positive

Morphology

grief-stricken = grief + stricken (transparent) = grief + stricken

The compound directly means 'affected/overwhelmed by grief', which follows standard English compounding and is clear to learners who know the components.

Etymology

Grief-stricken joins grief ('deep sadness') and stricken, from strike ('to hit'), so it paints the picture of someone 'hit by sadness'. That's why grief-stricken means overwhelmed or deeply affected by loss.