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.
Deceased clients of Measures listed on IMDbPro include game-show hosts Wink Martindale and Gene Rayburn and legendary deejay Casey Kasem.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2025
"Deceased animals should be disposed of in a way that prevents other pets or wildlife being able to access remains," the statement added.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2025
Deceased donors are significantly more common than living ones, although living donor recipients generally have better long-term outcomes.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024
Deceased former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was among a number of trailblazing Americans who returned from the dead to give advice to Ketanji Brown Jackson on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
From Salon • Apr. 11, 2022
She wore no part of her grief, so to speak, on her sleeve—in fact, there were no outward signs at all of her late, enviable connections with the Deceased.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
