memorization

noun

mem·​o·​ri·​za·​tion ˌme-mə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌme-mə-(ˌ)rī-,

ˌmem-rə-

: the act or process of memorizing something : commitment of something to memory

The current emphasis on written exams and memorization encourages what is referred to bitterly by many educators as "teaching to the test."

—Alison Lurie

Seeking a balance to his daily diet of science and memorization of facts, he pursues music avocationally.

—Judith Wynn Halsted

Common core standards, which Alabama adopted in 2010 and implemented in 2012, emphasize thinking mathematically rather than memorization of formulas.

—Trisha Powell Crain

Examples of memorization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This game is currently trending on TikTok with teens, who can’t help but love its equal parts performance, memorization, and laugh-out-loud competition. —Annabelle Canela, Parents, 6 Oct. 2025

Brennan suggests choosing participation over memorization. —Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

Their diplomas and GPAs speak to their talent for rote memorization, but simply regurgitating facts and figures has little to no value for employers. —Ulrik Juul Christensen, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

The model uses differential privacy to reduce the possibility of memorization, which could change how Google builds privacy into its future AI agents. —Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for memorization

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration