mourning

Deep sadness felt or shown after someone dies or something important is lost.

• The news brought widespread mourning.
• His mourning for his wife affected every part of his life.
• They shared their mourning after losing their home.

How to use it: mourning for someone/something (Her mourning for her father continued for months.)

Similar words: grief, sorrow, grieving

Opposites: joy

Common phrases: deep mourning, mourning for someone, public mourning

A period after someone's death when people follow customs that show respect and sadness.

• The family is in mourning.
• The government declared three days of national mourning.
• During the period of mourning, all celebrations were canceled.

How to use it: in mourning for someone (The family is in mourning for their grandmother.)

Similar words: bereavement period

Common phrases: in mourning, national mourning, period of mourning

Feeling or showing deep sadness or regret about something.

• Her mourning over lost opportunities never ended.
• His poems are filled with mourning for his vanished youth.
• Their mourning over the defeat slowly gave way to hope.

How to use it: mourning over something (His mourning over wasted opportunities lasted for years.)

Similar words: lamentation, sorrow, grieving

Opposites: rejoicing

Common phrases: mourning over something, bitter mourning, endless mourning

Clothes, usually black, traditionally worn to show sadness after someone's death.

• The widow wore black mourning.
• She put aside her mourning a year after his death.
• Her mourning included a long dress and a dark veil.

Similar words: mourning clothes, mourning dress

Common phrases: wear mourning, black mourning, deep mourning