1595–1605; < Latin cenotaphium < Greek kenotáphion, equivalent to kenó ( s ) empty + -taphion ( táph ( os ) tomb + -ion diminutive suffix)
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.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The two minute silence was observed and then politicians, dignitaries and military personnel began the wreath laying at the cenotaph.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
The cenotaph "is not a billboard for claims, however respectable they may be," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
The meeting took place late that month in Gwangju, by a gray stone cenotaph near the site of the minibus shooting.
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
The cenotaph afterwards erected in Stoke Park by Mr. Penn is described below.
From Select Poems of Thomas Gray by Carruthers, Robert
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
Donald Poole, a 101-year-old who is a veteran of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, will march at the Cenotaph service with the Burma Star Memorial Fund.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
The procession will travel down Whitehall, past the Cenotaph, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
Westminster’s SNP leader Stephen Flynn appeared alongside the other leaders of the UK parties and every living former prime minister at London’s Cenotaph commemoration.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2024
La Perouse erected a monument to the memory of his unfortunate countrymen, in the middle of the bay, on an island which he called the Cenotaph.
From Celebrated Travels and Travellers Part 2. The Great Navigators of the Eighteenth Century by Benett, Léon
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.
