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.
But fast forward two weeks and the mood music surrounding the national team is funereal.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
Outside of flickers like Carmelo Anthony’s homecoming and Linsanity, Madison Square Garden was funereal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
You can futz with the bread, you can gild the cheese, but if the core is bland or watery or vaguely funereal, the whole enterprise collapses.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025
The stunning call — which some attendees described as funereal — added to the growing tension between the newsroom and Mr. Lewis, who has set about remaking The Post since he started in January.
From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2024
“We know the scene of the crime,” Brinker went on, “high in that . . . that funereal tree by the river. There wasn’t any poison, nothing as subtle as that.”
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
