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
That was the takeaway from his interview with Politico, an epitaph for the continent’s migration policy, strategic posture and governing class.
—
Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Finale affirm Hamlin’s career epitaph is heartbreak: Denny Hamlin -- at age 44 the greatest driver to never win a Cup Series season championship -- was three laps away from his first, but instead left Phoenix Raceway as downtrodden as he’s been.
—Greg Cote
november 9, Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
Even the White House Historical Association, with a caution that has become typical of this dark time, confines itself to stating that it has been allowed to make a digital record of what’s being destroyed—as though that were a defense, rather than an epitaph.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
This famous epitaph is not real, but commonly repeated.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for epitaph
Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Finale affirm Hamlin’s career epitaph is heartbreak: Denny Hamlin -- at age 44 the greatest driver to never win a Cup Series season championship -- was three laps away from his first, but instead left Phoenix Raceway as downtrodden as he’s been.
—Greg Cote
november 9, Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
Even the White House Historical Association, with a caution that has become typical of this dark time, confines itself to stating that it has been allowed to make a digital record of what’s being destroyed—as though that were a defense, rather than an epitaph.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
This famous epitaph is not real, but commonly repeated.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for epitaph
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epitaph
inscription
Noun
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Finds at the Ehnasiya necropolis, once Heracleópolis Magna, include massive basilica columns, inscriptions of Middle Kingdom pharaoh Senusret III and terracotta coin molds, underscoring the city’s role as a bustling Roman-era commercial hub.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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The inscriptions include his throne, birth names of the Pharaoh, who is also known as Sesostris III, and was one of the most prominent rulers of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Epitaph.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epitaph. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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