funereal
Americanadjective
-
of or suitable for a funeral.
-
mournful; gloomy; dismal.
a funereal aloofness that was quite chilling.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of funereal
1715–25; < Latin fūnere(us) of, belonging to a funeral + -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Funereal describes the mood in a locker room after an overtime loss in a championship game — sad, serious and gloomy, as if you were at a funeral. The word funereal comes from the Latin funus which means, not surprisingly, "funeral." It is often figuratively used to describe solemn or dismal things as well as something that is related to a burial ceremony. Funereal music is gloomy and often played at a slow pace. If you don't want to seem overly serious, you might want to wear a navy blue suit to your job interview rather than funereal black.
Vocabulary lists containing funereal
Pre-AP Theatre
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Billy Budd
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Each Little Bird That Sings
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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.
Funereal as its first movement may be — see Mahler’s direction: “With complete gravity and solemnity of expression” — Thomas kept it full-to-bursting with beauty.
From Washington Post • Apr. 1, 2022
Q. Funereal plagiarism: I have a friend who plagiarized a large portion of a eulogy and then posted it on Facebook as if they were his own words.
From Slate • Nov. 27, 2018
Funereal ambiance, spoiled meat and awkward chit-chat between a surly lord, his insane wife and his dark priestess adviser-shadow-monster-babymama?
From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2014
Bunch Snowberger; wise in Most Things Funereal, said, “We cannot have a dog at funerals and we’ve nowhere to put him this afternoon.”
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
The Funereal Square, of which I had already learned the history, was soon reached, and we were set down at a hotel in its neighbourhood.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 61, No. 377, March 1847 by Various
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.
