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as in memento
a lingering indication of something from the past
The spelling of "trough" is an artifact of the way it was originally pronounced.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of artifact
The Commonwealth Museum, attached to the Archives building, has great artifacts and even had a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
—
David Wade, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The artifacts offer insight into how ancient Indigenous societies lived, died and interacted with the rainforest.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
The recovered artifacts will be exhibited to the public at the museum before undergoing restoration, Cornel Constantin Ilie, the interim director of the National History Museum of Romania, told the outlet.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
The exhibition features about 140 original artifacts and specimens, including a sculpture of an articulated adult female orca skeleton and a life-size family of three replica orcas.
—City News Service, Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for artifact
David Wade, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The artifacts offer insight into how ancient Indigenous societies lived, died and interacted with the rainforest.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
The recovered artifacts will be exhibited to the public at the museum before undergoing restoration, Cornel Constantin Ilie, the interim director of the National History Museum of Romania, told the outlet.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
The exhibition features about 140 original artifacts and specimens, including a sculpture of an articulated adult female orca skeleton and a life-size family of three replica orcas.
—City News Service, Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for artifact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifact
Noun
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Finding Something That Generally Doesn’t Fossilize Octopuses are notoriously difficult to study in the fossil record because their bodies are almost entirely soft tissue.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Apr. 2026
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So a creature like an octopus — which is made up of almost entirely soft tissue — has been harder to come by in the fossil record.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Inviting people into your home for the first time nevertheless creates a feeling of vulnerability since guests can learn a lot about the host’s taste, interests and beliefs through the color scheme, the books on the shelves, and the art work and mementos on display.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
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Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That air purifier is still on, every filter change a reminder that nothing about the device, designed to keep me safe, is recyclable.—
Abigail Stone,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
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The half-dozen screens punctuating the show with this gesture offer potent and campy but all-too-serious reminders that anger and nostalgia for a world of white supremacy are not dead.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Decades of sidelining this relic have unlocked markets to reward efficiency, innovation and scale — delivering genuine consumer wins at the checkout line.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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This relic of a production, however, doesn’t feel particularly dangerous, shocking or even gleeful.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Her rock-climbing skills also come in handy when she’s trapped in a narrow gorge, and soon after when a hairy ascent provides echoes of the prologue.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
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Because behind every ride is an echo of the thousands of Black cowboys who helped shape the American West.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That trailing effect isn’t a smear on its own, but their blades also leave afterimages, duplicate smears, along their path through space.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
19 Aug. 2025
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But her teachers at the school left important afterimages.—
Gia Kourlas,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That remembrance of that person also has to wake up, go about their day-to-day life and be okay.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Paisley Park, Prince's former home and music studio space, will be hosting a special remembrance event on Tuesday.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The shell still contained remnants of its original plug and traces of plant material, which were recovered for analysis.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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Using innovative fossil reconstruction techniques, the researchers revealed remnants of two extinct species locked inside large rocks.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Artifact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifact. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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