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

Note: Biographical details about Mike Ullman come from his Wall Street Journal obituary written by James R. Haggerty. —John Baldoni, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

She was not named in the statement, but was identified in a GoFundMe set up by her family, her school’s cheerleading team, an online obituary and several news outlets that spoke with her family. —Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024

When Robert Emmett Fletcher Jr. died in 2013, obituaries saluted his courage. —Jake Whitney, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024

Drag out the obituaries for traditional interviews and coverage. —Bill Goodykoontz, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 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