obituary

American  

[oh-bich-oo-er-ee] / oʊˈbɪtʃ uˌɛr i /

noun

• obituaries
  plural

1. a notice of the death of a person, often with a biographical sketch, as in a newspaper.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or recording a death or deaths.

   the obituary page of a newspaper.

obituary British  

/ əˈbɪtjʊərɪ /

noun

1. a published announcement of a death, often accompanied by a short biography of the dead person

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• obituarist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• obituaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of obituary

1700–10; < Medieval Latin obituārius, equivalent to Latin obitu ( s ) death ( see obit) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

An obituary is the notice of someone's death. It is placed in the newspaper to alert others to the death. It gives a background about the deceased's life, usually listing survivors and giving funeral information. The noun obituary, which appears in English in the early 18th century, comes from the Latin obīre, where ob- means "toward," and īre, "to go," suggesting a "going toward" one's death. The first obituary as we know it probably appeared shortly after the invention of the printing press and included just the bare facts of the death. In 19th-century England, the announcements became more elaborate, and photos were added in the 20th century, making the modern obituary more like an elaborate eulogy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obituary obituaries

"The life of comrade Zhu Rongji was a life of revolution, a life of struggle, a life of glory," an obituary jointly issued by China's top political bodies said, according to Xinhua.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

In state media his obituary described him as an "outstanding member of the Communist Party of China and loyal Commnist fighter... an outstanding leader of the Party and state".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“I can’t turn on a television or watch a film without recognizing someone John coached, mentored or influenced,” Nesbitt said in his obituary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

While “this isn’t an obituary, the market for M.B.A.-level work may be shrinking, permanently, to a smaller size,” Westerbeck said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Bateson wrote a moving obituary to his old friend and teacher.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

And it is exactly why 60/40 obituaries kept getting written when U.S. large-capitalization stocks could do no wrong.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

As much as he was revered during his nearly two decades as Fed chairman for protecting the stock market from a series of crashes and near-crashes, his obituaries take a more measured view.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Annabelle was previously a reporting fellow at the New York Times working on the obituaries desk, where she often covered activists and artists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

The obituaries, social media posts and GoFundMe pages capture the utter despair of the families, though none of them reckon with the decision not to get the vitamin K shot.

From Salon ● May 7, 2026

He puts the obituaries under a column he calls “Death Notices,” so of course they are written in a deadly dull and unexciting way, although I would never tell him that.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Related Words

• eulogy
• obit