: not dead : returned from or as if from death
It may be someone I don't want to see—from the undead past, an ex-lover, my ex-best friend.—
Lynne Tillman
Lynne Tillman
especially, in stories about vampires and zombies
: reanimated after death by supernatural means
undead creatures
We would all recognize a vampire if we saw one, that 'undead' soul who rises from the grave to gorge himself upon the blood of the living, thereby creating further generations of vampires. —Roy Porter
—often used as a collective noun Roy Porter Zombies apparently never brush. Witness the rotten chompers flashed by lumbering hordes of hungry undead in this dexterous thriller … —People
—used especially as the undead People A brainy young philosophy graduate student … gets sucked into the nightmare world of the undead in Abel Ferrara's black-and-white indie vampire tale. —Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly Examples of undead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Robert Eggers is bringing a classic vampire story back from the undead.
—Vulture, 1 Oct. 2022
Outside, Joel and Ellie listen to the shrieks of the burning undead.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for undead 
Vulture, 1 Oct. 2022
Outside, Joel and Ellie listen to the shrieks of the burning undead.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for undead
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Undead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undead. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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