monument

noun

mon·​u·​ment ˈmän-yə-mənt 

1

obsolete : a burial vault : sepulchre

2

: a written legal document or record : treatise

3

a(1)

: a lasting evidence, reminder, or example of someone or something notable or great

The project sits unfinished as a monument to folly.

… Stonehenge yet stands: a monument of the earlier time when the Roman name was unknown in Britain …

—Charles Dickens

(2)

: a distinguished person

b

: a memorial stone or a building erected in remembrance of a person or event

4

archaic : an identifying mark : evidence

also : portent, sign

5

obsolete : a carved statue : effigy

6

: a boundary or position marker (such as a stone)

7

: national monument

8

: a written tribute

Synonyms of monument

• tombstone
• stone
• plaque

Examples of monument in a Sentence

They have erected a monument in his honor.

the Quakers disapproved of monuments, regarding them as idolatrous, so thousands of Nantucketers spend their eternal rest in complete anonymity

Recent Examples on the Web

Blake’s birthplace at 28 Broad Street has been obliterated by a brown granite tower, a monument to the worldview of the City of Westminster’s postwar planning department, but his influence is everywhere in the other London. —Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

Another hotel rife with Old Hollywood history, the Sunset Tower is an Art Deco monument standing sentinel over the Sunset Strip. —Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026

In Mashhad, these took place near the Imam Reza Shrine—the city’s focal monument and a center of pilgrimage and religious observance—during daylight hours. —Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026

For families The proximity to Utah’s national parks and monuments makes Ofland a great lodging choice for family road trips. —Jenny Willden, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin monumentum, literally, memorial, from monēre to remind — more at mind

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing monument

• national monument

Kids Definition

monument

noun

mon·​u·​ment ˈmän-yə-mənt 

1

: something that serves as a memorial

especially : a building, pillar, stone, or statue honoring a person or event

2

: a work, saying, or deed that lasts or that is worth preserving

the book is a monument of scholarship

3

: a boundary marker (as a stone)

4

: a place of historic interest or natural beauty set aside and maintained by the government as public property