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as in mementos
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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Recent Examples of artifacts
Choudhary, a collector of contemporary art as well as Indian artifacts, considered a career in hospitality before he was seduced by the gems his family has traded for centuries.
—
Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025
The dig revealed a stunning snapshot of the southern gate, complete with the fortifications around the city’s edge, exposing the entry point, a tollhouse, the terminus of the main street, and artifacts that continue to illuminate daily life in the former Swedish town.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2025
People from the Kansas City area who boarded the ship are highlighted on posters hanging on the walls next to artifacts like fragments of a first-class curtain, a door handle and a White Star Line envelope.
—Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2025
The government doesn't like to as a rule, like showcase of assassin artifacts.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Then there is the wider moral question of whether historical artifacts should ever be intentionally destroyed.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
For Neal, whose scholarship explores Black cultural memory and ephemera, the exhibition also raises important questions about preservation and access to Black cultural artifacts.
—Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025
In 2019, the Eiteljorg Museum hosted a repatriation ceremony of more than 350 artifacts to China.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
From the central atrium, the Grand Staircase -- a six-story ascent lined with around 60 monumental artifacts including statues, sarcophagi, columns and stelae -- culminates in a view of Giza's three famous pyramids.
—Ayat Al-Tawy, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025
The dig revealed a stunning snapshot of the southern gate, complete with the fortifications around the city’s edge, exposing the entry point, a tollhouse, the terminus of the main street, and artifacts that continue to illuminate daily life in the former Swedish town.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2025
People from the Kansas City area who boarded the ship are highlighted on posters hanging on the walls next to artifacts like fragments of a first-class curtain, a door handle and a White Star Line envelope.
—Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2025
The government doesn't like to as a rule, like showcase of assassin artifacts.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Then there is the wider moral question of whether historical artifacts should ever be intentionally destroyed.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
For Neal, whose scholarship explores Black cultural memory and ephemera, the exhibition also raises important questions about preservation and access to Black cultural artifacts.
—Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025
In 2019, the Eiteljorg Museum hosted a repatriation ceremony of more than 350 artifacts to China.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
From the central atrium, the Grand Staircase -- a six-story ascent lined with around 60 monumental artifacts including statues, sarcophagi, columns and stelae -- culminates in a view of Giza's three famous pyramids.
—Ayat Al-Tawy, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifacts
Noun
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Paleontologists have long wrestled with how to differentiate between male and female dinosaurs based on their fossils.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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The new lichen indicators developed by the team will enable them to map much larger areas, eventually using aircraft and satellites, which will facilitate the discovery of fossils across vast landscapes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Carefully maintained but not updated much in recent years, the prewar apartment looks almost frozen in time with the Oscar-winning pair’s furniture, art, and mementos still on display.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
3 Nov. 2025
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Added to the trauma of grief and sudden eviction under threat of reprisal, Adelaida has to endure seeing the sacred mementos of her mother’s life trashed by the thuggish new squatters.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Both are faithful tributes and stunning reminders of the simple beauty and deep history of each brand.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
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Everything from financial systems and relationships to our physical bodies could send subtle (or not-so-subtle) reminders that change is overdue.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The property has a special kind of refined, vintage charm, replete with relics like a retro annunciator panel and fun shower tiles that share facts about the city’s history in every bathroom.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
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In the years since, the battle’s decisive tactics have been closely studied, but archaeologists from the University of Glasgow and the National Trust for Scotland recently discovered an array of physical relics from the deadly conflict.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That, too, had echoes of last season, when City, the reigning champions, lost their way completely after a promising start, winning just one match out of 13 in all competitions between late October and late December.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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Ditto the echoes of The Civil War, also examining a battle that pit brother against brother, and The Vietnam War, in which America became the occupying imperial force failing to understand or successfully combat a domestic insurgence.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In the comments of the post, Santos’s friends and followers posted remembrances for the late bodybuilding icon.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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All these remembrances are motivated, finally, by a desire to save, to whatever extent possible, people and stories and the truth as the authors understand it from impending oblivion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The storm that hit Alaska's west coast in mid-October was the remnants of Typhoon Halong, which picked up momentum in a warmer-than-normal Pacific Ocean.—
Emily Schwing,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
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Recently, archaeologists found a massive stone basin in Italy dating back more than 2,000 years — remnants of a once-powerful rival of Rome.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Israel wiped out entire cities with nothing left but an abundance of rubble mixed with thousands of corpses stuck underneath.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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And now one of those corpses could soon be Evelyn’s.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Artifacts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifacts. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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