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

Overnight, homemade posters seeking survivors became rough drafts of obituaries. — Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Donations in memory of Pierro can be made to Steubenville High School, his obituary said. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026

Presumably, though, his job is something of a morbid guessing game, like prewriting obituaries. — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

Adams worked as a phlebotomist for 10 years, according to her online obituary. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 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