as in inscription
something inscribed on a gravestone in memory of a dead person
The epitaph reads "In loving memory of John Gray: husband, father, soldier."
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Recent Examples of epitaph
The epitaph for the version of the North Rim Lodge that stood from 1936 to 2025 might well be that humanity will never master the awesome nature that lies outside the picture windows.
—
Tom Zoellner, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
Advocates can postulate that, absent the resolve of the United States to fight in Vietnam, even in a losing cause, the Soviet Union and China would have been emboldened to invade and conquer America, Western Europe and Japan, writing an epitaph for freedom.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2025
The Executive may succeed for a time in weakening the courts, but over time history will script the tragic gap between what was and all that might have been, and law in time will sign its epitaph.
—Time Staff, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
See treasures Human remains that had been burned were also found inside the tomb, along with grave goods like a black-glazed porcelain basin, a white porcelain cup, a bronze mirror, a jade hairpin, a wooden comb and an epitaph, or tombstone.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for epitaph
Tom Zoellner, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
Advocates can postulate that, absent the resolve of the United States to fight in Vietnam, even in a losing cause, the Soviet Union and China would have been emboldened to invade and conquer America, Western Europe and Japan, writing an epitaph for freedom.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2025
The Executive may succeed for a time in weakening the courts, but over time history will script the tragic gap between what was and all that might have been, and law in time will sign its epitaph.
—Time Staff, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
See treasures Human remains that had been burned were also found inside the tomb, along with grave goods like a black-glazed porcelain basin, a white porcelain cup, a bronze mirror, a jade hairpin, a wooden comb and an epitaph, or tombstone.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for epitaph
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epitaph
inscription
Noun
-
Neglected and overgrown, the inscription was barely legible until local historian and YouTuber Kevin Cuthbertson recently decided to take action.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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Newer gemstones, for example, sometimes carry a laser inscription inside that can be evaluated in a lab.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Epitaph.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epitaph. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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