Grief

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Grief

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

greef  /ɡriːf/

Definition

Intense sorrow, especially that caused by someone's death; deep distress caused by loss or bereavement; (informal) trouble or annoyance.

Plain meaning

Grief is the deep emotional pain that follows a significant loss — most commonly the death of someone you love, but also the loss of a relationship, a way of life, or a future you expected to have.

Register

Serious and emotionally weighty. Grief is not used lightly — it implies genuine, deep emotional pain rather than ordinary sadness. The informal sense — giving someone grief — is quite separate from the main emotional sense and is much lighter in register.