posthumous

American  

[pos-chuh-muhs, -choo-] / ˈpɒs tʃə məs, -tʃʊ- /

adjective

1. arising, occurring, or continuing after one's death.

   a posthumous award for bravery.

2. published after the death of the author.

   a posthumous novel.

3. born after the death of the father.

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posthumous British  

/ ˈpɒstjʊməs /

adjective

1. happening or continuing after one's death

2. (of a book, etc) published after the author's death

3. (of a child) born after the father's death

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Other Word Forms

• posthumousness
  noun
• nonposthumous
  adjective
• posthumously
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of posthumous

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin postumus “last-born, born after the death of the father” (in form a superlative of posterus; see posterior); post-classical spelling with h by association with humus “ground, earth,” as if referring to burial

Explanation

If something happens after someone dies, it is described as posthumous — like the posthumous interest in the music of a singer who died "a nobody." The adjective posthumous comes from Latin — post means "after" and humare, "to bury." (You might also think of humus, which means "dirt" or "earth.") So something that is posthumous happens after a person is dead, like the posthumous discovery that your humble neighbor who lived very modestly was actually a multi-millionaire, or the posthumous publication of a book that the writer finished just before she died.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

posthumous

Since Kahlo became a posthumous sensation, her works have attracted deep-pocket collectors, among them Madonna.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Painters also adopted European conventions emphasizing divine rule in imperial portraits, as in a posthumous one of Akbar with a halo and winged cherubs above him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

The last woman to be executed in the UK has received a posthumous conditional pardon more than 70 years after her death - but who was she?

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Yes, you can structure a trust that gives an independent trustee quite a lot of discretion over posthumous distributions.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

I had heard such predictions all my life from Malcolm and all his posthumous followers who hollered that the Dreamers must reap what they sow.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates