bereft

/bɪˈreft/ (bre, ipa) · /bɪˈreft/ (ame, ipa) · /bi-ˈreft/ (ame, mw)

bereft — adjective

  • bereftpositive
  • more bereftcomparative
  • most bereftsuperlative

1. suffering a serious lack of something that was once present or that is truly nee

1.形容詞C1
釋義

suffering a serious lack of something that was once present or that is truly needed, often causing a feeling of deep sadness or emptiness

例句

After losing the election, the mayor found himself bereft of political allies.

bereft of political allies

The old library, once full of visitors, now stood bereft of any readers.

同義詞
  • deprived

    less literary than 'bereft'; often used for social, economic, or material lack ('deprived of sleep')

  • destitute

    stronger, suggesting complete absence or extreme poverty ('destitute of possessions')

  • robbed

    more dramatic and suggests unfair or forceful taking ('robbed of a childhood')

  • stripped

    implies something was removed systematically or violently ('stripped of authority')

反義詞
  • blessed with

    having something good in abundance, opposite of lacking

  • filled with

    suggests richness or abundance rather than emptiness

  • replete with

    formal term meaning well-supplied or full of something

文法句型

bereft + of + noun

用法筆記

Almost always used predicatively (after a linking verb such as 'be', 'feel', 'seem', or 'look'), and followed by 'of' to specify what is lacking. Using 'bereft' directly before a noun sounds unnatural in modern English.

常見錯誤

❌She was bereft her passport.
✅She was bereft of her passport.
💡'Bereft' must be followed by the preposition 'of' to introduce what is lacking.
❌He is a bereft man.
✅He is a man bereft of hope.
💡'Bereft' is rarely used attributively (before a noun); use it predicatively or as a postmodifier.