cremated

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "cremated" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to the process of burning a deceased person's body as a method of final disposition. Example: "After the funeral service, the family decided to have their loved one cremated."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Since the monk's initiation is held to entail the symbolic cremation of his body, he is not cremated at his death, as is done in the case of lay Hindus, but is interred or immersed in the river.

Encyclopedia Britannica

"The dead die hard," is how "Echo's Bones" begins, and here is Belacqua, "who now found himself up and about in the dust of the world, back at his old games on the dim spot"; "sat double on a fence like a casse-poitrine", smoking a Romeo and Juliet and wondering whether "if he had been cremated rather than inhumed directly he would have been less likely to revisit the vomit".

The Guardian - Books

Turing was cremated here on Saturday 12 June 1954, five days after he died.

The Guardian

Rhiannon Davies's daughter Kate was cremated at Emstrey in 2009.

The Guardian

Jenkins found that by 2009, the year Kate and Harry were cremated, furnaces at Emstrey were decrepit.

The Guardian

This week, Clive Wright, the chief executive of Shropshire council, apologised to Rebecca and the parents of more than 50 other infants cremated at Emstrey between 2000 and 2012.

The Guardian

Soon after coming to power in 1949 he was reportedly the first leader to commit himself to being cremated, a practice advocated by the Communists who wanted to put an end to grave-building that wasted precious land.

The Economist

It suggested that Mao's body be removed from its "lavish" memorial hall in Tiananmen Square, cremated, and the ashes delivered to his ancestral home in Shaoshan in the central province of Hunan.

The Economist

Worse, the slow pace of recovery of the bodies fewer than 250 out of the 5,400 missing, after a week of searching has led to the growing realisation that many of the victims may have been cremated, never to be identified.

The Economist

In India the dying make pilgrimages to sacred sites, such as Varanasi, to be cremated and released into the River Ganges, India's holiest waterway.

The Economist

His body was cremated in Chile, without a thorough post mortem.Other foreign joint ventures in Cuba cut corners, but Rio Zaza's alleged misdeeds involved particularly large sums of money.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about end-of-life arrangements, use the term "cremated" with sensitivity and respect, recognizing the cultural and personal significance attached to this practice.

Common error

Be mindful of the emotional weight associated with death and avoid using flippant or dismissive language when discussing cremation. For example, do not use informal phrases or slang that trivializes the process.

Linguistic Context

The word "cremated" primarily functions as the past participle of the verb "cremate". It is used to describe a state or condition resulting from the action of cremating a body. Ludwig AI confirms this usage with numerous examples.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Encyclopedias

30%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

5%

Academia

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "cremated", as Ludwig AI confirms, is the past participle of "cremate" and describes the process of reducing a body to ashes by burning. It is grammatically correct and very common, appearing most frequently in News & Media and Encyclopedias. When using "cremated", it's important to be sensitive to the emotional weight associated with death and avoid insensitive language. Alternatives such as "incinerated" can be used, but the choice depends on the context. The authoritative sources that mention this term most often include The Guardian, The Economist, Encyclopedia Britannica, Independent, and The New York Times.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

incinerated

Refers to the process of burning something completely; in this context, it emphasizes the act of burning a body.

reduced to ashes

Describes the end result of cremation, highlighting the transformation of the body into ash.

burned to ashes

Similar to 'reduced to ashes' but emphasizes the burning process.

urned

Implies the process of placing cremated remains into an urn.

remains cremated

Emphasizes that the remains underwent cremation.

subjected to cremation

Formally describes the act of undergoing the cremation process.

given a cremation

Focuses on the act of performing cremation as a form of funeral rite.

ashes scattered

Describes what happens after cremation, when the ashes are dispersed.

body burned

A simple description of the cremation process.

ashes interred

Describes the act of burying cremated ashes.

FAQs

How is "cremated" used in a sentence?

The word "cremated" describes the process of reducing a body to ashes by burning. For example: "After the service, his body was "cremated" according to his wishes".

What are some alternatives to saying "cremated"?

You can use alternatives such as "incinerated" to refer to the burning of a body. You might also describe the result, saying the body was "reduced to ashes".

Is it more respectful to say "cremated" or "incinerated"?

Both terms are acceptable. "Cremated" is more commonly used in the context of human remains, while "incinerated" can also refer to the burning of other objects. The level of respect depends more on the tone and context of the sentence.

What happens to the ashes after someone is "cremated"?

After someone is "cremated", the ashes can be stored in an urn, scattered in a meaningful location, or interred in a cemetery. The family's wishes usually determine what happens to the "ashes scattered".