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

In addition to his screen roles, Cypher, according to his obituary, appeared in 12 Broadway productions, playing such characters as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and Juan Perón in Evita. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Carl Steward, the author of this obituary, covered Bay Area sports for 42 years. — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

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

Kaylee attended Borah Elementary with Alivea and Steven before moving on to a charter school and Lake City High School as a teenager, per her obituary. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 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