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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Recent Examples of cenotaph
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
Her bed has become her grave, a tomb beneath the ceiling of her room,
the ceiling a cenotaph.
—Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for 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
Her bed has become her grave, a tomb beneath the ceiling of her room,
the ceiling a cenotaph.
—Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cenotaph
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cenotaph
Noun
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The memorial includes the date of the attack in both the Gregorian and Jewish calendars and was lined with small stones.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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Land said the Sherman tank, purchased in 1952 for $100, serves as a memorial for all veterans of WWII and the VFW, and was Crown Point’s first city park.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Noun
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Now Crosswhite can acknowledge the beauty in the art, respect the workers who crafted the carvings, and appreciate the opportunity to tell a story larger than the monument itself.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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In February, it was reported that the National Park Service will exhibit a decommissioned equestrian monument of a slaveholding signatory of the Declaration of Independence.—
Greg Allen,
ARTnews.com,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cenotaph.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cenotaph. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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