posthumously

American  

[pos-chuh-muhs-lee, -choo-] / ˈpɒs tʃə məs li, -tʃʊ- /

adverb

1. after a person’s death, typically the death of the author or other artist.

   The sculpture, designed in 1967 by American artist Tony Smith, was exhibited posthumously.

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Etymology

Origin of posthumously

posthumous ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

Posthumously is an adverb that helps describe something that happens to a person after they die, whether it happens to their estate, their life’s work, or the memory of them that remains. The prefix post- means “after,” and the Latin word humus means “ground.” Add the suffix -ly and that lets you use the word to describe some action taken after someone’s dead and in the ground, like posthumously naming a street after a dead politician, or posthumously publishing a new book written by an author who died years ago. The word doesn’t sound how it looks, so pronounce it like this: POSS-chew-muss-lee.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

posthumously

Saint-Exupéry’s books were banned by the Vichy regime, and “The Little Prince” was only published in France posthumously.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Only once before has an executed person been exonerated posthumously by a state entity.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

Forgiveness is posthumously granted through cinema, shaving away anything unpleasant that is no longer necessary to dwell on.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

After learning of the story, the authorities in Uzbekistan decided to posthumously award John and Phyllis Le Breton the Order of Friendship - one of the highest state awards - for their "courage and compassion".

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

Soon afterward, Dusya was posthumously given the Gold Star of Hero of the Soviet Union, the first of the 46th Guards to be awarded this medal.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein