as in towers
a large, magnificent, or massive building
the company didn't want just a new office building—it demanded a cathedral that proclaimed its place among the giants of finance
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Recent Examples of cathedrals
The theaters, the parks, the cathedrals, the skyscrapers.
—
Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026
Grain elevators rise like prairie cathedrals.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
God appeared once, Christianity twice, and cathedrals, but not the Mother of Parliaments in London.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, capacity 100,077, is among college football's largest and most hallowed cathedrals.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Carved from porous tufa stone once covered by the sea, the four wine cathedrals are considered an engineering marvel.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Gothic architecture, on the other hand, focused on height and light; despite being constructed from heavy stone, Gothic cathedrals seem to defy the laws of gravity.
—Stefanie Waldek, Architectural Digest, 9 Jan. 2026
The difference is that in stadiums, unlike in cathedrals, every inch of the space, and every sight line—not only to the field but also to the sponsors’ logos—is monetized.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The granite peaks that stood above us like stone cathedrals reached skyward past 8,600 feet.
—Will Rice, Outside, 13 Nov. 2025
Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026
Grain elevators rise like prairie cathedrals.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
God appeared once, Christianity twice, and cathedrals, but not the Mother of Parliaments in London.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, capacity 100,077, is among college football's largest and most hallowed cathedrals.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Carved from porous tufa stone once covered by the sea, the four wine cathedrals are considered an engineering marvel.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Gothic architecture, on the other hand, focused on height and light; despite being constructed from heavy stone, Gothic cathedrals seem to defy the laws of gravity.
—Stefanie Waldek, Architectural Digest, 9 Jan. 2026
The difference is that in stadiums, unlike in cathedrals, every inch of the space, and every sight line—not only to the field but also to the sponsors’ logos—is monetized.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
The granite peaks that stood above us like stone cathedrals reached skyward past 8,600 feet.
—Will Rice, Outside, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cathedrals
Noun
-
The American Lung Association holds fundraising events each spring in office towers in cities across the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Dallas officials scouting locations for a possible new City Hall reviewed at least 15 sites, ranging from downtown office towers to redevelopment properties in southern Dallas and warehouse space near the Cedars.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Every corner of the island bears witness to physical remnants of the seven nations whose flags once crowned its edifices, giving visitors the impression of exploring a living history book still intact.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Time captive within the grand edifices of the past, parading on the stage of memory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
There would be long flights, days in the sun of Delhi and in the potentially cold and rainy mountains of Rajasthan, dusty and packed queues to get into mosques and palaces, and time spent exploring street food stalls and markets.—
Alexandra Pereira,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Grand Lake Theater opened this week in March 1926, during a period when hundreds of movie palaces were opening around the United States every year.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These are lightweight, porous structures engineered using renewable resources and advanced nanotechnology.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Another new app feature, called Immersive Navigation, creates a 3D view that reflects structures and terrain around you and highlights crosswalks, lanes, stop signs and traffic lights.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cathedrals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cathedrals. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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