memorialize

1 of 2

verb

me·​mo·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈmȯr-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

memorialized; memorializing

transitive verb

1

: to address or petition by a memorial

2

a

: to serve as a memorial of : commemorate

a statue memorializing the event

b

: to do or create something that causes people to remember (a person, thing, or event)

a period in history that has been memorialized in countless films

memorialization

mə-ˌmȯr-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

-ˌlī-ˈzā-

noun

memorialization

2 of 2

noun

me·​mo·​ri·​al·​iza·​tion

-ˌlīˈz-

plural -s

: the act or an instance of memorializing or the state of being memorialized

won … glamour for future memorialization

—J. F. Dobie

Synonyms of memorialize

Verb

• commemorate

Examples of memorialize in a Sentence

Verb

an exciting period in history that has been memorialized in many popular books and movies

at the entrance to the park stands a statue memorializing the novelist Sir Walter Scott

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Parton was, nonetheless, tantamount to American royalty, memorialized on The Simpsons and even appreciated by Beavis and Butt-Head. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026

The goldenseal flowers on its surface memorializing whoever had been buried in it. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Meek is memorialized at the top of The End of Oak Street’s credits with a dedication that the movie is presented in both his memory and that of a man named Eric Tramone Miller. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

While radio and television have generally fallen short in memorializing the dead, there are blogs, zines, and commercial websites devoted to dying, and personal web pages and online videos have all helped democratize death. — Sam Roberts, Longreads, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1798, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for memorialize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

memorialize

verb

me·​mo·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈmōr-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

-ˈmȯr-

memorialized; memorializing

: commemorate sense 1

memorialization

-ˌmōr-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

-ˌmȯr-

noun