vestiges

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

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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 Making Juneteenth a national holiday is the closest our country has gotten to acknowledging the truth about enslavement and its vestiges. Marcus Anthony Hunter, Time, 19 June 2026 Centuries later, their vestiges resurface. Jenny S. Li, Variety, 17 June 2026 Despite the initial welcome for such interventions, local populations largely came to view these troops as ineffective vestiges of the colonial era. Kaitlyn Rabe, The Conversation, 16 June 2026 Our main point is that the instant amplification of these acts, often with inaccurate context, implies that vestiges of the Klan are roaming Chicago streets. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 When the last vestiges of the classic-rock era finally fade, many of the moments that made up its truest essence will be impossible to explain to those who missed it. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026 The wall drawings also contain erasure marks, vestiges of the artist’s false starts and corrections. Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026 In a follow-up exam conducted six years after the infection, vestiges of the virus’s RNA were found in the man’s semen. Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 May 2026 Continue your exploration of ancient Mexican vestiges by visiting Tulum. Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vestiges
Noun
  • But the First Amendment is more than a few eloquent phrases about free speech, and its principles are far from historical relics.
    Nicole Russell, USA Today, 18 June 2026
  • Even the rarest materials—Basra pearls, Golconda diamonds—get new life in a striking pair of earrings from Santi that mimic Maharaja ornamentation without feeling like ancient relics.
    Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • Following in the footsteps of Eddie the Eagle and Cool Runnings, Next Goal Wins focuses on a real-life sporting underdog that even Hollywood recognizes is incapable of being turned into a champion team.
    Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • It was initially thought that Charles would follow in his mother’s footsteps and eventually move into the palace after renovations were complete, but that won’t be the case, it has officially been confirmed.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Trade-secret doctrine, computer-fraud rules and contract terms all touch the issue, but none were written with tens of millions of API calls and synthetic reasoning traces in mind.
    Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Her collection preserves not only the traces of a public life, but evidence of a performer who refused to separate politics from performance and performance from ephemerality.
    Emilie Hardman, JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • The marks of two canoes showed in the sand, and footprints of barefoot children proclaimed we’d been visited by Cree neighbors.
    Marc Terziev, Outdoor Life, 25 June 2026
  • As a result of this need for speed, Apollo did not build anything permanent on the moon, leaving behind only flags, footprints and defunct spacecraft.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • In what is now the desert Southwest, Velarde was born among the remnants of the Spanish empire and lived under the flags of Mexico and Texas; briefly, the Confederacy, though his family opposed it; and finally, under the stars and stripes of the United States of America.
    Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
  • At first glance, these camps feel like remnants of an earlier generation.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 27 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Vestiges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vestiges. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.

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