the departed

noun

: people who have died

They left flowers at the graves of the departed.

the spirits of the departed

Examples of the departed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Colorful flowers adorn select burial plaques, and sometimes a miniature casket sits open in the cemetery for people to pay their respects to the departed. — Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026

Rituals are held on the final day to pray for the souls of the departed. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

And the Mass, in its very Catholic nature, is really focused on … repose for the departed, to bring their souls from purgatory to heaven in the afterlife. — Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2026

Vermeer, in short, grew up in a world where the living consumed the departed. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for the departed

• brokenhearted
• carted
• charted
• darted
• hearted
• parted
• smarted
• started
• halfhearted
• imparted
• kindhearted
• lighthearted