cenotaph

Definition of cenotaphnext
as in memorial
a special structure or statue that is built to remind people of a dead person who is buried somewhere else

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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.
Recent Examples of cenotaph This image taken on August 5, 2025, shows the cenotaph ahead of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025 Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the city’s mayor and other officials laid flowers at the cenotaph. Mari Yamaguchi, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025 Tombs were frequently located by the sea, especially cenotaphs – empty graves meant to memorialize those who died at sea and whose bodies could not be recovered. Marie-Claire Beaulieu, The Conversation, 28 July 2025 Instead of the vast open space, there are now hundreds of near identical cenotaphs, each featuring the name and a picture of a victim. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for cenotaph
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cenotaph
Noun
  • Heeding the lessons of 9/11, New Yorkers can create public memorials all around the city that recognize both the full scale of loss and the specific casualties in distinct communities.
    Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In Franklin Park, Hijas del Pueblo and other community members have kept a temporary memorial at Grand Avenue and Emerson Street to honor Villegas González.
    Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The most typical public piece is a bust, but Plasencia proposed the idea of a monument, and it was accepted.
    Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The PhDs who gave us the monument to double counting that is GDP have similarly made a mockery of inflation.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cenotaph.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cenotaph. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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