post·mor·tem
ˌpōs(t)-ˈmȯr-təm 
1
: done, occurring, or collected after death
postmortem tissue specimens
2
: following the event
1
2
: an analysis or discussion of an event after it is over
Synonyms
Examples of postmortem in a Sentence
Adjective
postmortem tests on the brain tissue of people who had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease
Noun
A postmortem showed that the man had been poisoned.
Party leaders are conducting a postmortem of the election to try to find out what went wrong.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Spegele, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2022
The vertical occipital fasciculus, or VOF, is identified in a postmortem human brain in 1909, but labeled with a different name.
—Jenny Blair, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2015
Another area ripe for new technology is postmortem facial reconstruction, used for identification purposes, which has traditionally been carried out by putting clay on skulls in a process known as forensic art.
—Rachel Pannett, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2020
Beer and his colleagues analyzed postmortem brain tissue from 56 patients in southeastern Germany’s state of Bavaria between 1999 and 2019.
—Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2020
Although treatments for these disorders remain elusive, postmortem brain tissue offers a key resource for unlocking possible solutions.
—Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 21 Aug. 2019
In addition to studying postmortem tissue, imaging methods like MRIs offer alternative tools for investigating neurological conditions.
—Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 21 Aug. 2019
Nearby, the researchers also found skulls apparently stuck together with mortar—remnants of one of the towers flanking the tzompantli, where most skulls once exhibited on its posts ended their postmortem journey.
—Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, 21 June 2018
Last year, Jeff Iliff, a neuroscientist at Oregon Health & Science University, and several colleagues examined postmortem tissue from 79 human brains.
—The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 21 May 2017
Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024
But the findings, including the absence of CTE, mirror other postmortem scans of service members’ brains, according to Dr. James Stone, who was enlisted by NATO in 2021 to help develop guidelines for preventing serious brain injuries in service members.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2024
As in any business postmortem (or near postmortem), different parties with different perspectives can point to events that played a part in Bird’s trajectory—with lessons for startup founders, employees, investors, and even local government officials.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024
The list of what-ifs will be long in the Broncos’ 2023 postmortem, but man, the efficiency in the run game really dried up.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 2 Jan. 2024
Their resulting prototype, that fits in the palm of a hand, has detected TBI issues within postmortem animal samples.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Nov. 2023
Failures In the postmortem on the outbreak investigation—published in the latest issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report—investigators noted several challenges that kept them from identifying the source.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 3 July 2023
If a postmortem redemption arc is possible for Canserbero, perhaps the worst really is over.
—Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2024
The Wild dressing room wasn’t empty after Saturday night’s 3-2 loss to Anaheim, but the two players who showed up for the postmortem were dramatically outnumbered by equipment managers and reporters.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024
Adjective
In recent years, that has appeared in postmortem blood samples of drug users in Europe and the U.S.
—Brian Spegele, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2022
The vertical occipital fasciculus, or VOF, is identified in a postmortem human brain in 1909, but labeled with a different name.
—Jenny Blair, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2015
Another area ripe for new technology is postmortem facial reconstruction, used for identification purposes, which has traditionally been carried out by putting clay on skulls in a process known as forensic art.
—Rachel Pannett, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2020
Beer and his colleagues analyzed postmortem brain tissue from 56 patients in southeastern Germany’s state of Bavaria between 1999 and 2019.
—Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2020
Although treatments for these disorders remain elusive, postmortem brain tissue offers a key resource for unlocking possible solutions.
—Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 21 Aug. 2019
In addition to studying postmortem tissue, imaging methods like MRIs offer alternative tools for investigating neurological conditions.
—Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 21 Aug. 2019
Nearby, the researchers also found skulls apparently stuck together with mortar—remnants of one of the towers flanking the tzompantli, where most skulls once exhibited on its posts ended their postmortem journey.
—Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, 21 June 2018
Last year, Jeff Iliff, a neuroscientist at Oregon Health & Science University, and several colleagues examined postmortem tissue from 79 human brains.
—The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 21 May 2017
Noun
There is an even greater variation among right of publicity laws postmortem.
—Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024
But the findings, including the absence of CTE, mirror other postmortem scans of service members’ brains, according to Dr. James Stone, who was enlisted by NATO in 2021 to help develop guidelines for preventing serious brain injuries in service members.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2024
As in any business postmortem (or near postmortem), different parties with different perspectives can point to events that played a part in Bird’s trajectory—with lessons for startup founders, employees, investors, and even local government officials.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024
The list of what-ifs will be long in the Broncos’ 2023 postmortem, but man, the efficiency in the run game really dried up.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 2 Jan. 2024
Their resulting prototype, that fits in the palm of a hand, has detected TBI issues within postmortem animal samples.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Nov. 2023
Failures In the postmortem on the outbreak investigation—published in the latest issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report—investigators noted several challenges that kept them from identifying the source.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 3 July 2023
If a postmortem redemption arc is possible for Canserbero, perhaps the worst really is over.
—Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2024
The Wild dressing room wasn’t empty after Saturday night’s 3-2 loss to Anaheim, but the two players who showed up for the postmortem were dramatically outnumbered by equipment managers and reporters.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'postmortem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing postmortem
Dictionary Entries Near postmortem
Cite this Entry
“Postmortem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postmortem. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
postmortem
1 of 2 adjective
post·mor·tem
(ˈ)pōs(t)-ˈmȯrt-əm
: done or occurring after death
postmortem
2 of 2 noun1
: autopsy
2
: an analysis or discussion of an event after it is over
Medical Definition
postmortem
1 of 3 adjective
post·mor·tem
(ˈ)pōst-ˈmȯrt-əm
: done, occurring, or collected after death
postmortem tissue specimens
postmortem
2 of 3 noun
: autopsy
post-mortem
3 of 3 adverb
post-mor·tem
: after death
seven cases examined post-mortem
Legal Definition
post mortem
1 of 2 adjective
post mor·tem
ˌpōst-ˈmȯr-təm
: done, occurring, or collected after death
post mortem
2 of 2 noun
: autopsy
More from Merriam-Webster on postmortem
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about postmortem
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