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
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
Hundreds of others squared up to police with shields at the town's cenotaph, throwing bricks, cans and pots at officers.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cenotaph
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
Hundreds of others squared up to police with shields at the town's cenotaph, throwing bricks, cans and pots at officers.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cenotaph
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cenotaph
Noun
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The scattered protests erupted Saturday at universities following 40-day memorials for people killed in January during antigovernment rallies.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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Saturday's march ended at the memorial for Pretti, just over a mile away from where demonstrators rallied at Whittier Park.—
Adam Duxter,
CBS News,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Organizers are expecting some 1,500 Olympians, a bit over half those who competed in the Games, to parade into the monument built in the first century for gladiator fights and exotic animal hunts.—
Colleen Barry,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
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The mansion, often considered a monument to Roaring ‘20s ostentation, stretches from the Intracoastal to the Atlantic Ocean.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cenotaph.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cenotaph. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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