monumentalize

verb

mon·​u·​men·​tal·​ize ˌmän-yə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ˌīz How to pronounce monumentalize (audio)
monumentalized; monumentalizing

transitive verb

: to record or memorialize lastingly by a monument

Examples of monumentalize in a Sentence

adding to the appeal of the Taj Mahal is the fact that it monumentalizes one man's undying love for his wife
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Many white men monumentalized as heroes gained renown at a terrible expense to other people. Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023 The torching and removal of the Melania carving July 4 came amid a wave of statue toppling that began during protests in the United States and spread around the world, along with a push to confront rather than monumentalize histories of violence and oppression. Washington Post, 9 July 2020 In Dirty Turk, larger-than-life paper-mâché puppets are worn on the backs of cast members Armando Monsivais and Sorany Gutierrez to monumentalize the strength of Tahir and Ferdie, the grandparents to whom Ozlem owes everything. Alysia Nicole Harris, Dallas News, 9 Sep. 2021 His compositions monumentalize the small trees, centering them in a serene lake or a drift of snow, or positioning them to perfectly frame a mountain peak or the moon. Briana Miller, oregonlive, 12 Jan. 2021 Above all, Zumthor brought a drive to monumentalize Govan’s ambition. Joseph Giovannini, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2020 Their corsets were visible under sheer scrims of chiffon set into flannel jackets, marbelized sequins monumentalizing flesh. Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2018 Even former presidents far better at simulating modesty have been unable to resist monumentalizing themselves for posterity. Jeet Heer, New Republic, 13 Sep. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monumentalize was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near monumentalize

Cite this Entry

“Monumentalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monumentalize. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

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