cenotaph
noun
a sepulchral monument erected in memory of a deceased person whose body is buried elsewhere.
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cenotaph
American
[sen-uh-taf, -tahf]
/ ˈsɛn əˌtæf, -ˌtɑf /
noun
Cenotaph
1
British
/ ˈsɛnəˌtɑːf /
noun
cenotaph
2
British
/ ˈsɛnəˌtɑːf /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cenotaph
1595–1605; < Latin cenotaphium < Greek kenotáphion, equivalent to kenó ( s ) empty + -taphion ( táph ( os ) tomb + -ion diminutive suffix)
Explanation
A cenotaph is a monument to the dead, specifically those buried in another place. Cenotaphs are often erected in honor of war veterans. A cenotaph — which is very similar to a tomb — is a memorial to the dead. Unlike a tomb, a cenotaph doesn’t contain the body of the person memorialized, because the remains are elsewhere or couldn’t be recovered. Across the United States, you can find cenotaphs for people who served in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and other conflicts. Family members and other citizens leave flowers at cenotaphs to pay respect to the dead.
Vocabulary lists containing cenotaph
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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.
See Examples For:
The cenotaph "is not a billboard for claims, however respectable they may be," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
GMP said there was also another incident of vandalism at the cenotaph on Monday when poppies were taken down.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023
Choi kneels before the cenotaph and hangs his head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2023
“A vast cenotaph of secession” was how the journalist and historian Tony Horwitz described Richmond in his 1998 book, “Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches From the Unfinished Civil War.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2022
In this case, as in all cases, the question of mere objective fact simply returns, as importunate as ever, for another reckoning, with Shelley's cloud silently laughing at its own cenotaph.
From The Will to Doubt An essay in philosophy for the general thinker by Alfred H. Lloyd
Michelle O'Neill attended the event and laid a laurel wreath at the Cenotaph at Belfast City Hall in her role as first minister for the second year in a row.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
More than 20 different faith groups were represented around the plain stone of the Cenotaph, with clerical robes mixing in with the military uniforms.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
London's Cenotaph will become a focal point for quiet reflection when commemorations begin on Bank Holiday Monday.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
In London, the SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, joined Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and leaders of the other UK parties in laying wreaths at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2024
They would like the Cenotaph to fill St. James's Park, and fondly believe that the "Glorious Dead" would find pride and pleasure in such a monstrosity.
From Over the Fireside with Silent Friends by Richard King
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.
