charnel

noun

variants also charnel house
Definition of charnelnext
as in tomb

Related Words

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Example Sentences

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 charnel Thousands of homes and a sprawl of entire neighborhoods were transformed into outdoor charnel houses. — Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Jan. 2025 For the Himalayan monks of the early teen centuries, the ideal setting for initiation was a charnel ground, where people left their dead to be eaten by wild animals. — Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025 His third-floor office, in a dingy concrete building across a roaring four-lane road from the Ikeja market, is a charnel house of dead mobile phones. — Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024 Out of this charnel house where an American flag hung at one end, technicians hoped to identify 388 sailors and Marines from the Oklahoma. — Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for charnel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charnel
  1. tomb
  2. crypt
  3. vault
  4. sepulchre
  5. coffin
  6. sarcophagus
Noun
  • Archaeologists have uncovered tombs, theaters, baths, stadiums, and other remnants of the city, which was inhabited for more than 1,000 years.
    — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Visitors can view artifacts that museum officials say offer a rare look at discoveries from ancient Egypt, including objects unearthed by archaeologists and items made of gold from tombs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of tomb
Noun
  • Call it the canary yellow uniforms in the coal mine — except the Red Sox have shot up the elevator shaft, bursting from their subterranean crypt.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The hotel reopened in late 2025 as a 28-room property with a subterranean spa housing indoor and outdoor pools, two indoor saunas, a steam room and a hammam, all carved into what was once the monastery’s cellar and crypt.
    — Winston Ross, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of crypt
Noun
  • The fire was catastrophic, but the heat stopped short of the full depth, even in vaults – the arched stone ceilings of the cathedral – only about 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 centimeters) thick.
    — Giorgia Giardina, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026
  • After Diana’s 1996 divorce from then-Prince Charles, the Lover’s Knot Tiara went back into Queen Elizabeth’s royal vault.
    — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of vault
Noun
  • The Enclave, Buick’s large, three-row crossover, has been redesigned for 2018, allowing the automaker to finally place its predecessor in a sepulchre and seal the entrance.
    — Al Haas, Philly.com, 28 June 2018
  • The Garden Tomb, is believed by many to be the garden and sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathea, and therefore a possible site of the resurrection of Jesus.
    — Joe Yudin, Town & Country, 5 Oct. 2016
Definition of sepulchre
Noun
  • During her funeral procession in September 2022, Emma stood to the side as the late Queen’s coffin passed by at Windsor Castle.
    — Audrey Schmidt, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Emergency workers brought out a coffin and loaded it onto an ambulance, which will transport them to their hometown for funeral rites.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of coffin
Noun
  • Inside, a replica King Tut sarcophagus stood against a cinderblock wall, looking out at a table and some chairs.
    — Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • In the western chamber, archaeologists found a limestone sarcophagus containing a mummy wrapped in linen bandages.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sarcophagus

Browse Nearby Words

charms
charnel
charnels
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Charnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charnel. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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