funereal

[ fyoo-neer-ee-uhl ]

adjective

1. of or suitable for a funeral.
2. mournful; gloomy; dismal:

   a funereal aloofness that was quite chilling.

funereal

/ fjuːˈnɪərɪəl /

adjective

1. suggestive of a funeral; gloomy or mournful Alsofunebrialfjuːˈniːbrɪəl

Derived Forms

• fuˈnereally, adverb

Other Words From

• fu·nere·al·ly adverb
• unfu·nere·al adjective
• unfu·nere·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of funereal¹

1715–25; < Latin fūnere(us) of, belonging to a funeral + -al ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of funereal¹

C18: from Latin fūnereus

Example Sentences

What is demonstrable — and the reason Trump has gone even more bonkers than usual — is that Harris has been drawing much bigger crowds than Trump or President Biden, whose campaign, before exiting, was a Democratic exercise in making the best of a funereal situation.

From Los Angeles Times

He's not enjoying himself and it shows and compared to the excited crowds greeting Harris and Walz this week this sad, pathetic appearance seemed almost funereal.

From Salon

When he flubs a shot at his last match, the spectators look funereal — and the colleagues in attendance, from Björn Borg to Novak Djokovic, appear to recognize that this tragedy, this mass bereavement for an aging superhuman, has happened to them.

From New York Times

The stunning call — which some attendees described as funereal — added to the growing tension between the newsroom and Mr. Lewis, who has set about remaking The Post since he started in January.

From New York Times

And for his show “Elegy,” which recently closed at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Dawoud Bey created a moody, nearly funereal environment for his black-and-white landscape photographs, taken on or near sites associated with the Underground Railroad and the Richmond Slave Trail.

From New York Times

Related Words

• elegiac
• gloomy
• lugubrious
• mournful
• solemn
• somber