1
as in memory
a particular act or instance of recalling or the thing remembered a happy couple with many fond remembrances of when they were dating in college

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2
as in reminder
something that serves to keep alive the memory of a person or event she gave her boyfriend on the eve of his military service one of her lockets as a remembrance of their abiding affection

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Synonym Chooser

How is the word remembrance distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of remembrance are memory, recollection, and reminiscence. While all these words mean "the capacity for or the act of remembering, or the thing remembered," remembrance applies to the act of remembering or the fact of being remembered.

any remembrance of his deceased wife was painful

In what contexts can memory take the place of remembrance?

While in some cases nearly identical to remembrance, memory applies both to the power of remembering and to what is remembered.

gifted with a remarkable memory
that incident was now just a distant memory

When is recollection a more appropriate choice than remembrance?

The meanings of recollection and remembrance largely overlap; however, recollection adds an implication of consciously bringing back to mind often with some effort.

after a moment's recollection he produced the name

Where would reminiscence be a reasonable alternative to remembrance?

The synonyms reminiscence and remembrance are sometimes interchangeable, but reminiscence suggests the recalling of usually pleasant incidents, experiences, or feelings from a remote past.

my grandmother's reminiscences of her Iowa girlhood

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 remembrance In total, Jihan’s film is both an act of remembrance and resistance writ large. Leila Latif, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025 Details regarding a remembrance celebration are expected to be shared in the coming days. Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2025 For now, though, the celebration is in the present — five years of possibility, remembrance, and unity. Okla Jones, Essence, 30 Aug. 2025 No information about services or remembrances was immediately available. Jeff McDonald, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for remembrance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for remembrance
Noun
  • While Netanyahu is ageing, his memory is not at fault here.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Listening to a Swift song is like eating a candy bar that transmits a personal essay into your memory.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Some buildings downtown offer harrowing reminders of this dark history.
    Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Tanks rumbled through Tiananmen Square, a location that offered a stark reminder of how authoritarian states can violently crush democratic movements.
    Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Like her other books comprising private connections and recollections, Romano preferred to call Le parole a novel rather than a memoir or autobiography, seeing the distinction between fact and fiction as an irrelevant one for literature.
    Brian Robert Moore September 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Amparo Heredia has a vivid recollection of her parents performing in what was Miami’s vibrant Flamenco scene in the 1980s when many tablaos dotted the city.
    Emily Cardenas, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Those posts have now turned into memorials, with fans flooding the comments to express their grief.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • On August 21, locals discovered that the state of Florida had painted over the memorial overnight and began to restore it themselves with chalk.
    Abby Monteil, Them., 2 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Remembrance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/remembrance. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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