funereal
Americanadjective
-
of or suitable for a funeral.
-
mournful; gloomy; dismal.
a funereal aloofness that was quite chilling.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- funereally adverb
- unfunereal adjective
- unfunereally adverb
Etymology
Origin of funereal
1715–25; < Latin fūnere(us) of, belonging to a funeral + -al 1 ( def. )
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.
Still, more venues are restricting phone use to ensure that the atmosphere is festive, not funereal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025
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
When the tornado hits Kansas, this ensemble starts spinning around sinisterly in funereal disco costumes that might have been a hit on the long-forgotten variety television program “Dance Fever.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2024
Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith accepted Michigan State’s contract offer on Saturday, one day after his alma mater suffered a season-ending loss to Oregon that felt funereal on multiple levels:
From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2023
They are lithe and quick, their bodies and faces wrapped in funereal strips of black cloth.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
