sepulchral
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or serving as a tomb.
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of or relating to burial.
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proper to or suggestive of a tomb; funereal or dismal.
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hollow and deep.
sepulchral tones.
adjective
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suggestive of a tomb; gloomy
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of or relating to a sepulchre
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sepulchral
From the Latin word sepulcrālis, dating back to 1605–15. See sepulcher, -al 1
Explanation
Something that reminds you of death is sepulchral. A dreary, misty graveyard at night usually feels sepulchral. A sepulchre is a tomb or a crypt — a kind of stone room meant for burying a dead body. Something that's sepulchral reminds you of a sepulchre, either because it looks or feels like an actual tomb, or simply because it makes you think of death or dying. An empty building might be sepulchral, or a gloomy gathering. The Latin root word is sepelire, "to bury or embalm."
Vocabulary lists containing sepulchral
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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The Count of Monte Cristo
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The Bell Jar
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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.
It opens without the sepulchral bells and pounding drums that introduced the original.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2024
There isn’t much to say about Nardelli’s sepulchral comments, other than that he has a hell of a nerve.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2023
The band’s music, which at times bordered on the sepulchral, required lyrics that soared along with it.
From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2023
They exchanged names in the sepulchral darkness and realized they had worked together.
From Washington Post • Sep. 5, 2022
“Snuffbox,” said Jo, in a sepulchral tone, which convulsed the audience.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
