postmortem

[ pohst-mawr-tuhm ]

/ poʊstˈmɔr təm /

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See synonyms for postmortem on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or occurring in the time following death.

of or relating to examination of the body after death.

occurring after the end of something; after the event: a postmortem criticism of a television show.

adverb

after death: Pacemakers have to be removed postmortem from bodies that are going to be cremated.

noun

Medicine/Medical. a postmortem examination; autopsy.

an evaluation or discussion occurring after the end or fact of something: to do a postmortem on the decision of a court.

Cards. a discussion of the bidding or playing of a previous hand.

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Origin of postmortem

First recorded in 1725–35, postmortem is from Latin post mortem “after death”

Words nearby postmortem

postmillennialism, postminimalism, postmistress, postmodern, postmodernism, postmortem, postmortem examination, postnasal, postnasal drip, postnatal, Postnet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use postmortem in a sentence

Using the postmortem frontal cortex samples from three healthy individuals, they applied the method to dozens of neurons and established that up to 41% of the cells had either missing or extra gene copies.
The quest to learn if our brain’s mutations affect mental health|Roxanne Khamsi|August 25, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Indeed, researchers would later confirm the importance of postmortem infections in Ebola’s spread.
Chasing the Elusive Numbers That Define Epidemics|Jordana Cepelewicz|March 22, 2021|Quanta Magazine
They realized that if postmortem transmission — from the handling of the deceased during funerals — was a primary source of new Ebola infections, then most experts were probably assuming generation intervals for the disease that were too short.
Chasing the Elusive Numbers That Define Epidemics|Jordana Cepelewicz|March 22, 2021|Quanta Magazine
One 1971 survey in the British Medical Journal found that close to half the widows in Wales and England had seen their mates postmortem.
Why do we see ghosts?|Jake Bittle|October 6, 2020|Popular-Science

There was a postmortem conversation after the seven-week program ended, but this publisher described it as “informal” and that the platform didn’t go in depth on the program’s results.
‘We’ll give you money’: TikTok getting publishers’ attention by including them in $1 billion Creator Fund|Tim Peterson|August 28, 2020|Digiday
The gloomy postmortem has begun, but team manager Roy Hodgson is not resigning.
England Eliminated From World Cup 2014: The ‘Years of Hurt’ Continue|Tim Teeman|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
New postmortem tweeting projects are aiming to push the boundaries of life, death, and social media.
New Services Immortalize Tweets|Nina Strochlic|March 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Postmortem examinations later showed no signs of assault or defensive wounds on her body.
Oscar Pistorius Murder Case: What We’ve Learned So Far|Melissa Leon|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“I have not seen an honest postmortem assessment yet,” she told me.
Mosbacher: I’m Furious at My Own Party|Michelle Cottle|January 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the end I might leave one gleaming flake or so amidst the slag heaps for a moment of postmortem sympathy.
The New Machiavelli|Herbert George Wells
I think—yes—in that we would have, particularly, postmortem examined the body much more carefully than we did.
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
The failure to obtain secretin in some cases they claim is probably due to the rapid postmortem degeneration of diabetic tissue.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2|Various
It was a constant source of surprise to his students to note how well the master's diagnosis agreed with postmortem findings.
Makers of Modern Medicine|James J. Walsh
Observations made postmortem showed that his clinical observations were justified by the differences observed in the organ.
Makers of Modern Medicine|James J. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for postmortem

postmortem

/ (pəʊstˈmɔːtəm) /

adjective

(prenominal) occurring after death

noun

analysis or study of a recently completed eventa postmortem on a game of chess

See postmortem examination

Word Origin for postmortem

C18: from Latin, literally: after death

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for postmortem

postmortem

[ (pohst-mawr-tuhm) ]

Autopsy; figuratively, any analysis that follows an event: “When the convention is over, we'll have a postmortem to find ways of improving it for next year.” From Latin, meaning “after death.”

postmortem

Origin of postmortem

Words nearby postmortem

Words related to postmortem

How to use postmortem in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for postmortem

Word Origin for postmortem

Cultural definitions for postmortem