vestiges

noun

plural of vestige
1
as in relics
a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished a few strange words carved on a tree were the only vestige of the lost colony of Roanoke

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2
as in footsteps
the mark or impression made by a foot the fossilized vestige of a dinosaur that traversed that muddy landscape millions of years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 vestiges Humanity has long grappled with the question of what to do with these vestiges of the holy. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026 The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing. — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026 Then the pandemic hit, and an outdoor pint became one of the last vestiges of social life. — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026 The only vestiges of social order are a vigilante police force and the power company. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 The Venetians came and colonized 500 years ago, and many vestiges of our Venetian past are still visible, not just in the architecture and in our food. — Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026 All that can be seen of the building now is the vestiges of its foundations. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026 These beautiful, intrepid, witty and irrepressible young women and men are living witnesses to the destruction of the last vestiges of the dream of freedom of expression in Russia. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 As with many vestiges of the past, this myth is both a blessing and a curse. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vestiges
  1. relics
  2. footsteps
  3. traces
  4. footprints
  5. remnants
Noun
  • And around the world, wars and religious persecution have destroyed prayer books, Bibles, Qurans, Torah scrolls, statues, iconography, shrines, relics and many other materials considered venerable.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Architectural relics from the Nazi era can help people draw lessons from the past.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of relics
Noun
  • The celebrity barn owls’ saga follows in the footsteps of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, who captivated the city for a year after escaping from the Central Park Zoo after someone cut a hole through the mesh of his enclosure.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But remarkably few agents followed in Childress’s footsteps; Farris, for example, refused to participate in separations but did not quit, asking his supervisor to assign him elsewhere instead.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of footsteps
Noun
  • Auwaerter, who was not part of the study, said the data didn't distinguish consumption from external exposure -- in other words, the hair could have picked up traces of weed simply by being buried together with it.
    — Mary Evans, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Auwaerter, who was not part of the study, said the data didn't distinguish consumption from external exposure — in other words, the hair could have picked up traces of weed simply by being buried together with it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of traces
Noun
  • Amid these challenges, many leaders are considering shifting their manufacturing footprints.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Other California grocery chains have also had to make major changes to their store footprints.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of footprints
Noun
  • The damage comes only a year after intense October 2025 flooding, driven by the remnants of Pacific cyclones.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Scientists can spot remnants of gamma-ray bursts by looking for X-rays and optical light as the gamma rays themselves fade.
    — Mary Ogborn, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of remnants

Browse Nearby Words

vestige
vestiges
vesting
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Cite this Entry

“Vestiges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vestiges. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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