funereal
Americanadjective
-
of or suitable for a funeral.
-
mournful; gloomy; dismal.
a funereal aloofness that was quite chilling.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- funereally adverb
- unfunereal adjective
- unfunereally adverb
Etymology
Origin of funereal
1715–25; < Latin fūnere(us) of, belonging to a funeral + -al 1 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Still, more venues are restricting phone use to ensure that the atmosphere is festive, not funereal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025
You can futz with the bread, you can gild the cheese, but if the core is bland or watery or vaguely funereal, the whole enterprise collapses.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025
Al-Hijazi joined her relatives in the square, beating her chest to the rhythm of a funereal dirge, tears streaming down her cheek.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025
Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith accepted Michigan State’s contract offer on Saturday, one day after his alma mater suffered a season-ending loss to Oregon that felt funereal on multiple levels:
From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2023
Little by little the funereal splendor of the ancient and icy mansion was being transformed into the splendor of the House of Buendía.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
