What does postmortem mean?
A postmortem is an examination of a body after death, used especially to determine the cause of death and to investigate medical, legal, or other relevant circumstances. The word also has a widely used figurative meaning: a detailed review of an event, project, operation, or failure after it has happened. In this second sense, a postmortem examines what worked, what did not, and how similar problems might be prevented in the future. The expression is especially common in engineering, business, computing, and emergency management, where teams may hold a postmortem after an incident. Although the medical meaning is literal and technical, the figurative use can sound direct because it openly addresses mistakes or disappointing outcomes. The term comes from the Latin words post, meaning 'after,' and mortem, meaning 'death,' reflecting its original association with examining the dead.
An examination of a body after death, especially to determine the cause of death; also, a detailed review of an event or project after it has occurred.
"The hospital requested a postmortem after the unexpected death."
The figurative use is common in professional settings such as engineering, business, computing, and emergency response.
Relating to or occurring after death, or relating to a review conducted after an event.
"The report included a postmortem analysis of the failed launch."
As an adjective, it is commonly used before words such as examination, analysis, and report.
Used for more than one examination or review conducted after death or after an event.
"The investigators held several postmortems to review the incident."
From the Latin phrase meaning 'after death,' postmortem originally described an examination of the dead, but it now also means any candid review of what went wrong.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does postmortem come from?
Postmortem comes from the Latin phrase post mortem, meaning 'after death.' In English, the term was originally used for the examination of a body after death and later developed a broader figurative sense referring to analysis of an event after it has occurred. Its modern development reflects the extension of medical terminology into professional discussion of failures and problems encountered in other fields.
Related word forms
How postmortem is actually used
In medical contexts, the term is formal and technical, although it is widely understood in general English. In business, computing, and project management, it is a common metaphor for a structured review after an event; this extended use is usually neutral but can imply that failure or loss has occurred.
Easily confused with postmortem
A postmortem examines what happened after an event or death, whereas a premortem imagines possible failures before an event begins.
Mortem is chiefly used as part of the Latin phrase in media and formal expressions such as 'post mortem'; postmortem is the established English word for an examination after death or a review after an event.