deceased
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Synonym Usage
See dead.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deceased
Explanation
When someone is deceased, they are dead — not dying or even just about to die. They are dead. The word deceased has been around since the 15th century, however, when people talk of someone's having died, they rarely use deceased in conversation. For example, if you ask someone how their dog is and their dog is recently deceased, they'll most likely use a less technical phrase such as "no longer with us," or "passed away." The word deceased is more formal, and most often used in the documentation of death or in legal situations, as in "we are here to read the will of the deceased."
Vocabulary lists containing deceased
Salt to the Sea
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"Superman and Me" and "A Smart Cookie/It's Our Story, Too"
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The War I Finally Won
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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.
Police only began investigating in March 2024 after being contacted by someone over concerns for "the deceased" at the business.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The four deceased soldiers' names now appear on Overseas Operations, which says it measures "casualties starting July 7th 2026".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The closer your relationship to the deceased, the lower the tax rate, so the percentage depends on who left you this money.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
But over the years, 41 women directly followed their deceased husbands into the lower chamber.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Still, a rough estimate of the time of death can be made, and the Shouns determined that Anna had been deceased between five and seven days.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
