deceased

[ dih-seest ]

adjective

1. no longer living; dead.

noun

1. the deceased,
   1. the particular dead person or persons referred to.
   2. dead persons collectively:

      to speak well of the deceased.

deceased

/ dɪˈsiːst /

adjective

1. 1. a more formal word for dead
   2. ( as noun )

      the deceased

Other Words From

• unde·ceased adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deceased¹

First recorded in 1480–90; decease + -ed ²

Synonym Study

See dead.

Example Sentences

Officials are withholding the identity of the deceased, pending the notification of family.

From Washington Post

“The Medium” follows Marianne, a young woman grappling with the loss of her recently deceased father.

From Washington Post

The primary cause of death was hypothermia—temperatures would have been well below zero degrees Fahrenheit the night they fled—but two of the deceased were missing their eyes, and another her tongue.

From Ars Technica

Grieving in animals is a rich suite of behaviors, though, expressed differently by different individuals depending on their personalities and on their relationships with the deceased.

From Washington Post

But, when you sustain such a significant loss which only you fully know because only you and the deceased shared that one fragile umbilical cord, it is hard to imagine that in time the wound will heal or know how to answer how you’re holding up.

From Essence.com

When Garfield moved to the big screen in 2004 and 2006, it was fitting for Bill Murray to replace the deceased actor.

From The Daily Beast

Byrne invented a deceased husband named William K. Richard and hid herself from census takers.

From The Daily Beast

Ken Russell, the now sadly deceased British film director, told me he considered Jarman a visionary.

From The Daily Beast

During the time of the pharaohs, such funerary vessels were used to store the organs of the deceased.

From The Daily Beast

By 1915, mourning attire had begun to draw more attention to the mourner than to the deceased, drawing critics to the practice.

From The Daily Beast

On one occasion he took the liberty, while preaching, to denounce a rich man in the community, recently deceased.

From Project Gutenberg

Her testimony diametrically opposes several 119 items which McCracken has written into the unsigned testament of the deceased.

From Project Gutenberg

They name the deceased child an angelito, (little angel), and adorn it in every possible way.

From Project Gutenberg

A grave-digger was carrying one of these deceased angels to the churchyard, when he stept into a tavern to take a dram.

From Project Gutenberg

He had been dead three days, and his friends were awaiting Tati to pay the last honours to the deceased.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• corpse
• dead body