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

• obit
• epitaph
• inscription
• memorial

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

Nunez is survived by three daughters who also live in Baxley, three brothers, nine grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild, according to her obituary. —Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025

According to her obituary, after high school, Rachel earned her bachelor of business administration, cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025

Nunez was born in Ahuijullo, Jalisco, Mexico, and worked as a midwife and co-founder of the family business, Nunez Pine Straw, according to her obituary. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

Bake some sweet treats, enjoy some snarky sci-fi animation, and watch a dark comedy about a murderous obituary writer this week. —PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 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

Rhymes for obituary

• accretionary
• apothecary
• bicentenary
• certiorari
• concessionary
• concretionary
• confectionary
• confectionery
• constabulary
• contemporary
• deflationary
• depositary

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