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.
They added that the defence had been instructed by the accused "at this first opportunity, to apologise to the family of the deceased for his actions".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
"Four patients have been assessed. Three patients have been determined deceased on scene. One patient has been transported to a local hospital in unknown condition," it said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection and the Kingdom of Spain, which owns it, have fought the Cassirer family’s claims to the Pissarro painting since Claude Cassirer, now deceased, first sued for its return in 2005.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Choosing per stirpes can provide a hedge if a child has children before the beneficiary designation is updated, so that a deceased child’s share will pass on to their descendants.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Once his wife returned home to find a freshly deceased rhinoceros filling the front hallway.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
