as in cemetery
a piece of land used for burying the dead
an ancient necropolis that has given archaeologists valuable insights into how people once lived and died
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Recent Examples of necropolis
Colma, California, is a necropolis where the dead outnumber the living by a thousand to one.
—
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
There were just two dogs roaming the necropolis all that while, unseen and unheard.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Surrounded by lovely countryside and located near the coast, Paestum also features the National Archaeological Museum, which houses funerary items, pots, etc found in the town, in the nearby necropolises and at the sanctuary dedicated to Hera.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
In the 1920s, archaeologists excavating the necropolis of Deir el-Bahri near Luxor, Egypt, found many broken statues of the ancient Egyptian queen Hatshepsut—one of the civilization’s few female pharaohs.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for necropolis
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
There were just two dogs roaming the necropolis all that while, unseen and unheard.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Surrounded by lovely countryside and located near the coast, Paestum also features the National Archaeological Museum, which houses funerary items, pots, etc found in the town, in the nearby necropolises and at the sanctuary dedicated to Hera.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
In the 1920s, archaeologists excavating the necropolis of Deir el-Bahri near Luxor, Egypt, found many broken statues of the ancient Egyptian queen Hatshepsut—one of the civilization’s few female pharaohs.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for necropolis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for necropolis
Noun
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As a Community Services District, the water district could potentially assist the cemetery district with some of its needs, Wolski said.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Iranian cemeteries, holy shrines and mosques -- which normally are venues for the 40th-day ceremonies -- have turned into scenes of the most extraordinary ways of mourning in the country, as victims’ families have been dancing to mourn as a sign of defiance.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For example, Mermentau Cove previously used Mardi Gras funds to construct a pavilion for their graveyard and add flags to veterans' graves.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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That number suggests the ancient permafrost is less like a graveyard and more like an untouched biological frontier — teeming with life forms that have been hidden from science for tens of thousands of years.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Necropolis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necropolis. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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