Sorrow or sadness that continues or develops after a loss, or grief that emerges in waves after the initial shock of loss subsides.
From 'after' (Old English 'æfter') combined with 'grief' (Old French 'grief', from Latin 'gravis' meaning 'heavy'). Emotional term found in literature and psychology.
Grief researchers discovered that aftergrief—the secondary waves of sadness that hit weeks or months later, often triggered by small reminders—can be more intense than initial grief because the reality has truly sunk in.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.