obituary

noun obit·u·ary \ ə-ˈbi-chə-ˌwer-ē , ō- , -ˈbi-chə-rē \

Definition of obituary

plural obituaries

:a notice of a person's death usually with a short biographical account

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obituarist

play \ə-ˈbi-chə-ˌwər-ist, -ˈbi-chə-rist, ō-\ noun

—

obituary

adjective

See obituary defined for English-language learners

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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 of obituary from the Web

FRONT PAGE An obituary on Aug. 21 about Jerry Lewis referred imprecisely to his use of video assist, which allows directors to review their work immediately on a movie set.

— New York Times, "Corrections: August 30, 2017," 29 Aug. 2017
Bloggers and redditors have suggested that Huber is no more real than the Easter bunny, citing his lack of obituary.

— kathleen hou, The Cut, "10 Conspiracy Theories About the World’s Most Infamous Skin Cream," 23 Aug. 2017
OPEC’s obituary has been written again and again, but the group tends to come bouncing back.

— abigail morris, Bloomberg.com, "Why OPEC's Success Hinges on a Change of Seasons," 18 Aug. 2017
This exceptionally canny and fascinating piece is an attempt to write the obituary for naturalistic, heteronormative plays.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "16 shows to see now," 11 Aug. 2017
An obituary from January 2012 says Mitch Stevenson’s sister died on that day.

— kevin grasha, Cincinnati.com, "Feds: Mason family faked life insurance policies, collected $2.9 million and bought Bentley convertible," 10 Aug. 2017
At the time of his death, he was enrolled in an entrepreneurship program at Albertus Magnus College in Hamden, according to his obituary.

— christine dempsey, courant.com, "Relative: Teen Who Died In Plymouth Crash Had Natural Musical Talent," 1 Aug. 2017
The police said her last address was 4312 Cypress Ave., but her obituary, which ran in the paper that Friday, listed her address as 4433 S. Benton Blvd.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "Jacqueline Davis was bound and her body left in a ravine near the Paseo," 16 July 2017
Mr Liu, an academic and author specialising in literature and philosophy, was eight years into an 11-year sentence for subversion (see our obituary).

— The Economist, "China’s conscienceLiu Xiaobo’s death holds a message for China," 15 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obituary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of obituary

Medieval Latin obituarium, from Latin obitus death

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1703

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obituary Synonyms

Synonyms

necrology, obit

Related Words

eulogy, memorial, testimonial, tribute; epitaph, hic jacet, inscription

OBITUARY Defined for English Language Learners

obituary

noun

Definition of obituary for English Language Learners

: an article in a newspaper about the life of someone who has died recently

OBITUARY Defined for Kids

obituary

noun obit·u·ary \ ō-ˈbi-chə-ˌwer-ē \

Definition of obituary for Students

plural obituaries

:a notice of a person's death (as in a newspaper)

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See words that rhyme with obituary Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for obituary Spanish Central: Translation of obituary Nglish: Translation of obituary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of obituary for Arabic speakers

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