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

In the 1950s, Australian scientist David Warren came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder, according to his 2010 AP obituary. —Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025

DeVante was born and raised in Kansas City, according to an obituary shared by relatives. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2025

According to an obituary, Kim worked with a nonprofit organization that rescues and transports dogs from overcrowded shelters to loving homes. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025

Cartier died near the end of December but his news of his death became public recently when his family released an obituary. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 29 Jan. 2025

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