deceased

American  

[dih-seest] / dɪˈsist /

adjective

1. no longer living; dead.

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noun

1. the deceased,

   1. the particular dead person or persons referred to.

   2. dead persons collectively.

      to speak well of the deceased.

deceased British  

/ dɪˈsiːst /

adjective

1. 1. a more formal word for dead

   2. ( as noun )

      the deceased

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Related Words

See dead.

Other Word Forms

• undeceased adjective

Etymology

Origin of deceased

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

Example Sentences

While the embassy declined to confirm the deceased researcher's identity to the BBC, Liu earlier identified him to the South China Morning Post as Danhao Wang from the University of Michigan.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

An A-B trust is another option: The “A” trust is revocable and holds the surviving spouse’s assets; the “B” trust is irrevocable and holds the deceased spouse’s assets.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Artemis astronauts at the outer edge of human space travel had an emotional moment Monday as they proposed to name a crater in honor of the deceased wife of mission commander Reid Wiseman.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Families were elated when they were reunited with items, enabling them to finally fulfill deceased relatives' final wishes, said Curreri.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Laila took her spot beside Mammy, next to the living-room entrance where it was customary for the family of the deceased to sit.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• corpse
• dead body