Bereft Of: Standard Pattern
Bereft Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “bereft of” when something or someone is completely lacking a named thing; the expression is formal.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completely lacking a named thing | bereft of + noun phrase | use the documented of-complement |
| describing a person as left extremely sad without naming the lost thing | bereft | an of-complement is not required in every use |
Quick tests
Complement test
Are you naming the thing that is absent or lost?
If yes: Use “bereft of + noun phrase.”
If no: If no missing thing is named, a standalone use of “bereft” may fit the documented adjective sense.
Caveat: The construction is formal; this page does not claim that every use of “bereft” must contain “of.”
Examples
The village was bereft of public transport.
“Of” introduces the thing that is completely lacking.
After the announcement, he looked bereft.
The adjective can stand without an of-complement when the missing thing is not named.
The report was bereft of evidence.
The complement names what the report lacks.
Further guidance
Construction
Cambridge documents “bereft of” for being completely without something or suffering the loss of it.
Style Boundary
Cambridge also uses bereft without an of-complement for a person left extremely sad, so this page does not force of in every use.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Bereft — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Direct dictionary evidence for formal “bereft of” meaning completely without something or suffering a loss.