obituary

noun

obit·​u·​ary ə-ˈbi-chə-ˌwer-ē  ō- 

-ˈbi-chə-rē

plural obituaries

: a notice of a person's death usually with a short biographical account

obituarist

ə-ˈbi-chə-ˌwər-ist

ō- 

-ˈbi-chə-rist

noun

obituary adjective

Synonyms

• necrology
• obit

Examples of obituary in a Sentence

I read her obituary in the newspaper.

several obituaries for Herman Melville portrayed him as an obscure, largely forgotten author

Recent Examples on the Web

Born in Luxembourg, Chenoa and her family moved to the U.S. in 1993, according to her obituary. —David Chiu, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024

She was survived by her parents; six sons, not including William; and four daughters; plus six brothers and one sister; and four grandchildren, her obituary stated. —Penny Weaver, arkansasonline.com, 21 Dec. 2024

Marie Birdsong was born in Dallas, according to her obituary. —Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024

An obituary on Tuesday about the journalist E.B. Furgurson III referred incorrectly at one point to his father, Ernest Furgurson Jr., who was also a journalist. —New York Times, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin obituārium, noun derivative of Medieval Latin obituārius "of death, recording records or dates of death," from Latin obitu-, stem of obitus "death" + -ārius -ary entry 2 — more at obit

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

obituary

noun

obit·​u·​ary ə-ˈbich-ə-ˌwer-ē 

plural obituaries

: a notice of a person's death (as in a newspaper)

obituary adjective