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Synonyms

postmortem

American  
[pohst-mawr-tuhm] / poʊstˈmɔr təm /

adjective

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

  2. of or relating to examination of the body after death.

  3. occurring after the end of something; after the event.

    a postmortem criticism of a television show.

adverb

  1. after death.

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

noun

  1. Medicine/Medical. a postmortem examination; autopsy.

  2. an evaluation or discussion occurring after the end or fact of something.

    to do a postmortem on the decision of a court.

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

postmortem British  
/ pəʊstˈmɔːtəm /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) occurring 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

noun

  1. analysis or study of a recently completed event

    a postmortem on a game of chess

  2. See postmortem examination

"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
postmortem Cultural  

  1. 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.”

Etymology

Origin of postmortem

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

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.

In a statement to the inquest, Dr Marjorie Turner said she conducted the postmortem, and she found that the schoolboy's death was consistent with drowning.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Researchers analyzed postmortem cerebellar tissue from individuals with secondary progressive MS and compared it with tissue from healthy donors.

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

After their son died, Charlie and Fiona Bass flew in Van de Goot, the Dutch pathologist, to conduct a specialist postmortem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

You’re doing a postmortem of the relationship, as any smart, thoughtful person would.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 8, 2025

In the midst of all the postmortem ratiocination, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that climbing mountains will never be a safe, predictable, rule-bound enterprise.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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.