Synonyms of memory

memory

noun

ˈmem-rē 

1

as in recollection

the power or process of recalling what has been previously learned or experienced

a photographic memory makes taking tests entirely too easy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recollection
• mind
• reminiscence
• remembrance
• perception
• comprehension
• reflection
• understanding
• consciousness
• thinking
• awareness
• meditation
• contemplation
• retrospection
• total recall
• cognizance
• hypermnesia
• musing
• grasp
• apprehension
• grip

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repression
• amnesia
• forgetfulness

2

as in memorial

a particular act or instance of recalling or the thing remembered

I have only the vaguest memory of the family vacation we took the year I turned three

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recollection
• memorial
• reminiscence
• recall
• remembrance
• anamnesis
• token
• reminder
• souvenir
• memento
• flashback
• association

Synonym Chooser

How is the word memory distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of memory are recollection, remembrance, and reminiscence. While all these words mean "the capacity for or the act of remembering, or the thing remembered," memory applies both to the power of remembering and to what is remembered.

gifted with a remarkable memory

that incident was now just a distant memory

When is it sensible to use recollection instead of memory?

While the synonyms recollection and memory are close in meaning, recollection adds an implication of consciously bringing back to mind often with some effort.

after a moment's recollection he produced the name

When is remembrance a more appropriate choice than memory?

The words remembrance and memory are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, remembrance applies to the act of remembering or the fact of being remembered.

any remembrance of his deceased wife was painful

When might reminiscence be a better fit than memory?

The words reminiscence and memory can be used in similar contexts, but reminiscence suggests the recalling of usually pleasant incidents, experiences, or feelings from a remote past.

my grandmother's reminiscences of her Iowa girlhood

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of memory

Every day, the women and girls around her sob in traumatic memory of what happened to them. —Mick Krever, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

Many adults have no memory of previous high inflation in their lifetimes. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025

A day when the Stanley Cup years finally ride the synaptic road back to long-term memory and the brain finally bumps the past for the present. —Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025

What follows is an unraveling of memory, identity, and biology itself. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025