memorials
Statues honoring dead
Memorials are objects, structures, or events that preserve the memory of someone or something—typically the dead or significant historical moments.
A memorial can be a monument, a ceremony, a scholarship fund, or a dedicated day: the Lincoln Memorial, a memorial service, Memorial Day.
The word emphasizes remembrance rather than celebration.
Tomb without a body
- obeliskTapering stone monument
- statueThree-dimensional sculpted likeness
- mausoleumMonumental building for interment
- shrineSacred devotional place
stele · cairn · plinth · column · arch · bust · sculpture · fountain
Act of honoring memory
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- anniversaryRecurring memorial date
- wreathDecorative foliage circle
- poppyScarlet bloom, opium source
candlelight · vigil · silence · tribute · homage · reflection · solemnity · veterans
Intense sorrow from loss
- bereavementState following loss
- funeralService honoring the dead
- wakePath left in water
- eulogyTribute for the dead
condolences · obituary · cemetery · grave · hearse · burial · cremation · ashes
Made or regarded holy
- consecratedDeclared sacred through ritual
- sanctifiedMade sacred through blessing
- holyDedicated to the divine
- reveredDeeply respected, admired
venerated · shrine · sanctuary · pilgrimage · blessed · sacred ground · eternal rest · resting place
What's passed down
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- historyRecord of past events
- archivesStored historical documents
artifacts · relics · genealogy · lineage · patrimony · conservation · antiquity · provenance
cenotaph
Tomb without a body
- obeliskTapering stone monument
- statueThree-dimensional sculpted likeness
- mausoleumMonumental building for interment
shrine · stele · cairn · plinth · column · arch · bust · sculpture · fountain · marker
commemoration
Act of honoring memory
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- anniversaryRecurring memorial date
- wreathDecorative foliage circle
poppy · candlelight · vigil · silence · tribute · homage · reflection · solemnity · veterans · laying flowers
grief
Intense sorrow from loss
- bereavementState following loss
- funeralService honoring the dead
- wakePath left in water
eulogy · condolences · obituary · cemetery · grave · hearse · burial · cremation · ashes · urn
hallowed
Made or regarded holy
- consecratedDeclared sacred through ritual
- sanctifiedMade sacred through blessing
- holyDedicated to the divine
revered · venerated · shrine · sanctuary · pilgrimage · blessed · sacred ground · eternal rest · resting place · hallowed ground
legacy
What's passed down
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- historyRecord of past events
archives · artifacts · relics · genealogy · lineage · patrimony · conservation · antiquity · provenance · chronicles
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- wartimerationing, war economy, war bonds, war effort, evacuations
- historical depictionsdioramas, murals, reenactments, paintings, sculptures
- 9/11World Trade Center, Twin Towers, Ground Zero, September 11, Pentagon
- Australian HistoryCaptain Cook, Commonwealth, federation, explorers, Liberal Party
- Jewish HistoryHolocaust, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon
memorialsinaugurations
Formal installation ceremonies
groundbreakings · ribbon cuttings · birthday celebrations · prophecies · coronations
memorialstestimonials
Statements praising something's worth
birthday celebrations · jubilees · festivals · galas · homecomings
memorialserasures
Acts of removing marks
demolitions · forgettings · obliterations · damnatio memoriae · memory holes
- Memorial DayHoliday honoring military dead
- memorial serviceEvent honoring the deceased
- war memorialTribute to fallen soldiers
- memorial gardenLandscaped tribute space
- memorial jewelry
- Lincoln MemorialD.C. presidential monument
memorial, memorialize, memorialized, memorialization, memorializing, memorializes