Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

grief

/ɡɹiːf/ noun

In Latin: aegritudo, dolor, tristitudo Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about grief at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death).
Something that causes great unhappiness.
her death was a great grief to John

Origin

From Middle English greef, gref, from Old French grief (“grave, heavy, grievous, sad”), from Latin gravis (“heavy, grievous, sad”). Doublet of grave.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word