eulogy

/ˈjulədʒi/

/ˈjulədʒi/

Other forms: eulogies

At every funeral, there comes a moment when someone speaks about the life of the person who died. The speaker is delivering what is known as a eulogy. A eulogy is a formal speech that praises a person who has died.

Usually a eulogy makes the dead person sound a lot more impressive than they really were. A couple of less common synonyms for this kind of "praise the dead" speech are panegyric and encomium. Sometimes the dead person was so unimpressive that there's nothing nice to say. And sometimes they were so awful that the only appropriate speech is a dyslogy that describes their faults and failings.

Definitions of eulogy

1. noun

   a formal expression of praise for someone who has died recently
   synonyms: eulogium

   type of:

   congratulations, extolment, kudos, praise

   an expression of approval and commendation
2. noun

   a formal expression of praise
   synonyms: encomium, paean, panegyric, pean

   type of:

   congratulations, extolment, kudos, praise

   an expression of approval and commendation