commemorative
Americanadjective
-
serving to commemorate.
a commemorative monument; a commemorative dinner.
-
(of a coin, medal, or postage stamp) issued to commemorate a historical event, to honor the memory of a personage, etc.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of commemorative
First recorded in 1605–15; commemorat(ion) + -ive
Explanation
Anything that acts as a memorial to something or someone is commemorative — whether it's an action like a charity walk or an object like a war memorial. Certain commemorative objects are known simply as commemoratives. Think, for example, of the Elvis Presley commemorative stamps your Dad keeps in his sock drawer (he was young once), or the commemorative coins minted for such events as the inauguration of a new President or the moon landing. See late night TV in particular for "special commemorative offers."
Vocabulary lists containing commemorative
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
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Hope Springs
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The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The only previous such instance in the country’s history was a 1926 commemorative half-dollar showing then-President Calvin Coolidge alongside George Washington.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The agency also announced recently that it is marking the country’s 250th birthday with commemorative Social Security cards for children born between July 2 and Dec. 31 this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Harlesden Walk of Music's commemorative discs pay homage to musicians, producers and record shops that made the area the reggae capital of the UK, from the arrival of the Windrush generation onwards.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The State Department -- which had previously announced that a commemorative passport with "custom artwork" would be available from July 6 -- did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
He knows something’s up, like when Feather could tell we were going to have that one, famous Pittsburgh tornado, and kept knocking Mom’s Sleepless in Seattle commemorative plates off the wall with his tail.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
