posthumously

adverb

post·​hu·​mous·​ly ˈpäs-chə-məs-lē 

 also  -tə-,

-tyə-,

-thə-;

päst-ˈhyü-məs-,

ˈpōst-,

-ˈyü-

: after the death of the person in question

a book published posthumously

a medal awarded posthumously

Plath's magnificent Ariel, written mostly during the final months of her life and assembled posthumously by Hughes, takes the notion of confessional poetry to verbal and imaginative extremes.

—Christopher Benfey

Flannery O'Connor united both traditions and is duly, albeit posthumously, celebrated.

—Walker Percy

Examples of posthumously in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Five of them had their identities revealed posthumously in 2013, while one of the men, who died in 2004, remained a secret until 2023, when the family finally shared his story. —Tim Trudell, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II posthumously pardoned Alan Turing, the World War II codebreaker convicted under laws criminalizing homosexuality, and in 2017 the UK government extended the pardon to thousands of other gay and bisexual men convicted under similar statutes. —James Frater, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025

In 2010, the estate of the late rapper Big L, who died in 1999, released the album Return of the Devil’s Son posthumously. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025

Kirk has made two public appearances since her husband's death, one being his memorial in Glendale, Arizona, and the other earlier this month when Kirk was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1754, in the meaning defined above