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 of obituary

• 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

Lee was a 20-year veteran of the Army, having served multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the Army's storied 82nd Airborne Division, according to his obituary. — Robert McGreevy , Jennifer Griffin, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Last September felt like an offensive obituary by comparison. — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Roberts, who has written more than sixteen hundred obituaries, retraces the origins of the form (in ancient Rome) and the emergence of the modern newspaper obituary (in the eighteenth century). — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

But Bernie has never had a go, which is why his eye wanders to an advert in the local newspaper (one of Bernie’s hobbies, apart from keeping his toenail clippings in a jar, is cutting out obituaries). — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026

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