: no longer living
especially
: recently dead
—used of persons
Both of his parents are deceased.
deceased relatives
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased
did not release the deceased's name until his family had been notified
Examples of deceased in a Sentence
Adjective
the recently deceased tenant was found by a concerned neighbor
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
The Etruscans often interred their deceased in necropolises, which is where the Sapienza University team recovered 30 teeth from 10 individuals who died during the 7th and 6th centuries.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Jan. 2026
Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018
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Adjective
In 1942, Short’s mother received an apology letter from her husband, who had been presumed deceased for over a decade, according to Shattered Dreams.
—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.
—Cite this Entry
“Deceased.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceased. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
deceased
2 of 2 adjective
: no longer living
his deceased grandparents
Medical Definition
deceased
1 of 2 adjective
de·ceased
-ˈsēst 
: no longer living
especially
: recently dead
—used of persons
deceased
2 of 2 noun
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased
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