We do not usually need an antonym for posthumous. When someone mentions Bob’s child or Bob’s novel, we naturally assume the child was born, and the novel published, during Bob’s lifetime. But imagine the following dialogue:
Customer: I’m looking for a book by Machado de Assis, The memoirs of Bras Cubas.
Bookshop assistant: You mean The posthumous memoirs of Bras Cubas?
Customer: Exactly. Actually I don’t think he wrote any [antonym of posthumous] memoirs of Bras Cubas.
Merriam-Webster gives ante mortem as an antonym for posthumous. But it looks as though ante mortem is used mainly in connection with forensic activities and inspection of slaughterhouses.
So how suitably can ante mortem fill the antonym-of-posthumous space above? Is there an alternative?
I'm asking the parallel question in SE Portuguese Language. It's all in Portuguese though.
Best Answer
Ante mortem is more clinical and is a better antonym for post mortem. "Prehumous" is a neologism, but it goes beyond just the opposite and indicates "too early". If there is an actual antonym, it wouldn't be very well known; so, for comprehension, I would just say, "I don't think he published any memoirs during his lifetime." ("Published" is better, because if he didn't write them, they can't be his memoirs.)