Loss, Bereavement, Grief, and Mourning: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

If you’ve experienced a life-altering loss—whether through death, divorce, diagnosis, or another major transition—you’ve likely heard terms like “grief,” “mourning,” “bereavement,” and “loss” tossed around, often interchangeably.

People say things like, “I’m so sorry for your loss,” or “Are you still in mourning?” or “He took bereavement leave,” without really thinking about what those words mean—or how different they actually are.

But the truth is: each of these wo...