deceased

1 of 2

adjective

de·​ceased di-ˈsēst How to pronounce deceased (audio)
Synonyms of deceasednext
: no longer living
especially : recently dead
—used of persons
Both of his parents are deceased.
deceased relatives

deceased

2 of 2

noun

plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased
did not release the deceased's name until his family had been notified

Synonyms

Adjective

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for deceased

dead, defunct, deceased, departed, late mean devoid of life.

dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently.

deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Examples of deceased in a Sentence

Adjective the recently deceased tenant was found by a concerned neighbor
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The one deceased victim was described as a 27-year-old man. —Landon Mion, Fox News, 2 June 2024 Born to parents Jane and Robert 'Bob' Carter, the Backstreet Boys singer has four younger siblings (Leslie Carter, Aaron Carter, Angel Carter and Bobbie Jean Carter), three of whom are deceased. —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 26 May 2024
Noun
GEDMatch is one of the databases used by the DNA Doe project, a non-profit that works to name the deceased who remain unidentified. —Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018 See all Example Sentences for deceased 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deceased.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see decease

Noun

see decease

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deceased was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing deceased

Dictionary Entries Near deceased

decease

deceased

decedent

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Deceased.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceased. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

deceased

1 of 2 noun
de·​ceased di-ˈsēst How to pronounce deceased (audio)
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased

deceased

2 of 2 adjective
: no longer living
his deceased grandparents

Medical Definition

deceased

1 of 2 adjective
de·​ceased -ˈsēst How to pronounce deceased (audio)
: no longer living
especially : recently dead
—used of persons

deceased

2 of 2 noun
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased

More from Merriam-Webster on deceased

Nglish: Translation of deceased for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of deceased for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

9 Superb Owl Words

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports

Etymologies for Every Day of the Week
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...