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

Posthumously, she represented Finland at the 1956 Venice Biennale.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

Posthumously recognized by the Surrealist André Breton and admired by Picasso, Cheval’s creation was preserved thanks to André Malraux, then the French Minister of Culture.

From New York Times • Jun. 8, 2016

Posthumously, Carnahan defeated Ashcroft - the first time a dead man had been elected to the U.S.

From Washington Times • Nov. 20, 2015

Posthumously promoted to the rank of four-star general, Gen Buckner became the highest-ranking military officer killed on the battlefield during that war.

From BBC • Aug. 6, 2014

Posthumously Marshall's opinion has attained a rank and authority with the legal profession that it never enjoyed in his own time.

From John Marshall and the Constitution; a chronicle of the Supreme court by Corwin, Edward Samuel