commemorative

[kuh-mem-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv]

See more synonyms for commemorative on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

anything that commemorates.

Origin of commemorative

First recorded in 1605–15; commemorat(ion) + -ive

Related formscom·mem·o·ra·tive·ly, adverbcom·mem·o·ra·tive·ness, nounnon·com·mem·o·ra·tive, adjectivenon·com·mem·o·ra·tive·ly, adverbun·com·mem·o·ra·tive, adjectiveun·com·mem·o·ra·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for commemorative

celebratory, memorial, observing, commemoratory, dedicatory

Examples from the Web for commemorative

Contemporary Examples of commemorative

Temples could also serve funerary and commemorative functions.
Virgin Sacrifice and the Meaning of the Parthenon
Nick Romeo
February 12, 2014
Expect a boatload of commemorative coins, plates, T-shirts, and baby tchotchkes of all sorts to be sold.
The Royal Baby Is Already Making Britain Better
Daniel Gross
July 22, 2013
It makes you wonder what the riflemen are going to do with their commemorative coins.
Last Night's Gruesome Execution
David R. Dow
June 18, 2010
She was on the 1995 Special Olympics commemorative silver dollar.
The Shy Kennedy
The Daily Beast
August 11, 2009
She is the only living woman ever put on a dollar coin—a commemorative Special Olympics silver dollar.
Maria's Race Against Time
Lynn Sherr
May 6, 2009

Historical Examples of commemorative

They were either prophetical or commemorative of some particular event.
Commentary on Genesis, Vol. II
Martin Luther
This act deserved to be celebrated in a commemorative picture.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)
Richard Muther
In a bridge the arch is triumphal, both for practical and commemorative ends.
The Collector
Henry T. Tuckerman
The Patriot of the 2nd of March thought it worthy of 345 commemorative words.
The Real Shelley, Vol. II (of 2)
John Cordy Jeaffreson
There is no decoration—some commemorative tablets only—but it is enough.
South America To-day
Georges Clemenceau

Word Origin and History for commemorative

adj.

1610s, from commemorate + -ive. As a noun meaning "means of commemoration" it is recorded from 1630s; as short for commemorative postage stamp from 1916.