memorial

1 of 2

adjective

me·​mo·​ri·​al mə-ˈmȯr-ē-əl 

1

: serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative

2

: of or relating to memory

memorially

mə-ˈmȯr-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

memorial

2 of 2

noun

1

: something that keeps remembrance alive: such as

a

: monument

b

: something (such as a speech or ceremony) that commemorates

c

: keepsake, memento

2

a

: record, memoir

language and literature … the memorials of another age

—J. H. Fisher

b

: memorandum, note

specifically : a legal abstract

c

: a statement of facts addressed to a government and often accompanied by a petition or remonstrance

Synonyms

Adjective

• commemorative
• commemorating

Noun

• reminder
• monument

Examples of memorial in a Sentence

Adjective

a memorial plaque on the bridge for a diver who died in the line of duty

Noun

the Vietnam War Memorial is a starkly beautiful testimonial to the bravery of the soldiers who served in Vietnam

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Montana funeral provider Axelson Funeral & Cremation Services paid tribute to Blackstock, who died on Aug. 7 at age 48 following a battle with skin cancer, in an obituary shared ahead of Blackstock's Aug. 17 memorial service. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025

The Monday morning of Elijah Ming’s memorial service started out gloomy and grey. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2025

Noun

After $1 million was dedicated to fund the new memorial, developers put out a call to local, national and international artists to decide the design of the future monument. —Hailey Roden, The Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025

Some of the most prominent statues include the equestrian memorial in Charlottesville, Virginia, removed in 2021 after violent protests, and the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, Virginia, which was toppled the same year amid racial justice demonstrations. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin memorialis, from memoria memory

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing memorial

• memorial park

Rhymes for memorial

• arboreal
• armorial
• authorial
• factorial
• manorial
• pictorial
• sartorial
• sectorial
• tutorial
• vectorial
• ambassadorial
• combinatorial

Kids Definition

memorial

1 of 2 adjective

me·​mo·​ri·​al mə-ˈmōr-ē-əl 

-ˈmȯr-

: serving to preserve the memory of a person or an event

a memorial service

memorially

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

memorial

2 of 2 noun

: something that keeps alive the memory of a person or event

especially : monument sense 1