obituary

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

obituarist

2 of 2

noun (2)

obit·​u·​ar·​ist -chəˌwerə̇st 

-chər-

plural -s

: a writer of obituaries or the writer of an obituary

Synonyms of obituary

Noun (1)

• obit
• epitaph
• inscription
• memorial

Examples of obituary in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

Noun

According to her obituary, Rivera was born on June 2, 1943, in Iloilo, Philippines, and died on April 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026

The media is always writing the obituary about the superhero movie and superhero fatigue. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026

According to her obituary from Laird Funeral Home, Moylan died peacefully on Monday, July 27, after a struggle with dementia. — Rick West, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Christopher Affleck, or Chris, died on June 2, but her obituary appeared in The Boston Globe last week. — Doha Madani, NBC news, 30 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Noun (1)

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