personal loss
Individual setback endured
Personal loss refers to the death or departure of someone close—a family member, friend, or loved one.
The phrase emphasizes the individual nature of grief: what counts as significant loss varies by person.
It appears in condolences and formal contexts: I'm sorry for your personal loss.
The term can also extend to non-death separations like divorce or estrangement, or to losing something deeply meaningful to one's identity.
- bereavementState following loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- orphanhoodState of being parentless
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
grieving process · broken heart · memory · empty chair · estrangement · sorrow · heavy heart · alienation · widowhood · longing · purposelessness · despair · regret · anguish · absence · miscarriage · ache · emptiness