Meaning & use
obituaries
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“obituaries” is a form of “obituary”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
A news report that tells about a person's death, often including a summary of their life and achievements.
Grammar: Countable; the singular is obituary. Use 'an obituary of/for someone'.
Patterns
- an obituary of someone
- an obituary for someone
- write/publish an obituary
- read the obituaries
The newspaper published a long obituary of the former mayor.
I read my old teacher's obituary in the local paper yesterday.
She keeps a file of obituaries of famous scientists.
nouncountable
A short notice in a newspaper that announces a death, usually with details about the funeral.
Grammar: Often in the plural 'obituaries' for the section of a newspaper that contains these notices.
Patterns
- the obituaries section
- place an obituary
- an obituary notice
The family placed an obituary in the Sunday paper.
You can find the funeral details in the obituaries.
He checked the obituaries every morning to see if anyone he knew had died.
Word forms
| singular | obituary |
|---|
Common combinations
- write an obituary
- The editor asked her to write an obituary for the famous actor.
- publish an obituary
- The magazine will publish an obituary of the artist next month.
- read the obituaries
- My grandfather reads the obituaries first thing every morning.
- an obituary notice
- They put an obituary notice in the local newspaper.
- a lengthy obituary
- The Times ran a lengthy obituary of the prime minister.
Synonyms and how they differ
- death notice
- A death notice is usually a short paid announcement giving funeral details, while an obituary is a news article about the person's life.
- eulogy
- A eulogy is a speech praising someone who has died, given at a funeral; an obituary is written and published in a newspaper.
Word family
- obituarist noun
- A person who writes obituaries, especially as a job.
Commonly confused: obituaries or obi?
obituaries vs obi
An obi is a wide sash worn with a kimono in Japan; it sounds a little like the beginning of obituary but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'obituaries' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Obituaries are published reports of someone's death, so sentence An is correct. The other options use the word in contexts where it makes no sense (birthday gifts, food, hardware).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “obituaries”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.