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 Bell Jar
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The Count of Monte Cristo
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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
The creepy opening scene and sepulchral vibe here, though, suggest that whatever happens next will definitely be very unhappy.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2024
Illuminated only by ambient light from windows and a skylight, “Half-Life” appears both glamorous and sepulchral.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 10, 2023
For example, Twain appeals to the sense of hearing when he describes “the leadsman’s sepulchral cry:—‘D-e-e-p four!’”
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
She pictured them together, in dark sepulchral rooms with heavy velvet drapes, discussing theology.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
