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

• necrology
• obit

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

Bernal died in October 2022, according to an obituary. —Amy Simonson, CNN, 18 June 2024

According to Mansfield's obituary in the Times, Harrison couldn’t see the truck because it was obscured by a thick cloud of mosquito spray. —Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 9 June 2024

According to his obituary, Sabean is survived by his mother Judy Brueghel and his father Allen Sabean. —Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 9 June 2024

Even old obituaries and wedding announcements from newspapers.com helped, especially for Lunken family background. —Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 9 June 2024

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