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

The victims of the crash were Alpha Phi sorority sisters Niamh Rolston, 20; Peyton Stewart, 21; Asha Weir, 21; and Deslyn Williams, 21, who all received their degrees posthumously.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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

Hall of Fame defensive tackle Steve McMichael, a key member of the Super Bowl XX champion Chicago Bears, has been diagnosed posthumously with Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the Concussion & CTE Foundation said Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026

As Sam Sacks writes of this posthumously published collection of short stories, “Segal never loses her equipoise, or her sense of humor, in these most extreme confrontations with mortality.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

Twenty-five years after Lilya Litvyak disappeared in battle, in 1968, Komsomolskaya Pravda urged that she be given the honor posthumously.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein