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

As they reach old age, the business of burial is poised for an influx of money and new ideas, including biodegradable coffins and holograms of the deceased to display as digital memorials.

From The Wall Street Journal

To investigate these questions, Bailey is analyzing gray wolf teeth from museum collections and recently deceased animals using stable-isotope techniques.

From Science Daily

In prior years, you scrawled “deceased” and the date of death on the top of returns such as these.

From MarketWatch

He also started diligently airbrushing or painting over photographs of the deceased: “I paint out all the abrasions, cuts and bruises, and open the eyes,” he explained, essentially resurrecting a likeness of the victim.

From The Wall Street Journal

For example, a study published in Nature Medicine early last year announced it had detected relatively large particles -- the researchers claimed it was a plastic spoon's worth -- inside the brains of recently deceased people.

From Barron's

Related Words

• corpse
• dead body