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

Her obituary stated that Halbach was also a volleyball coach and an avid traveler. —Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025

Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 10, 2002, per a New York TImes obituary. —Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025

Ureste, 49, was born and raised in San Antonio and had three children with her husband, her obituary read. —Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025

But the section cites an obituary in the Texas State Historical Association website that does not make any such claims. —Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 28 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