memorial

American  

[muh-mawr-ee-uhl, -mohr-] / məˈmɔr i əl, -ˈmoʊr- /

noun

1. something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.

2. a written statement of facts presented to a sovereign, a legislative body, etc., as the ground of, or expressed in the form of, a petition or remonstrance.

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adjective

1. preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative.

   memorial services.

2. of or relating to the memory.

memorial British  

/ mɪˈmɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. serving to preserve the memory of the dead or a past event

2. of or involving memory

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noun

1. something serving as a remembrance

2. a written statement of facts submitted to a government, authority, etc, in conjunction with a petition

3. an informal diplomatic paper

Other Word Forms

• memorially adverb

Etymology

Origin of memorial

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin memoriāle, noun use of neuter of Latin memoriālis for or containing memoranda. See memory, -al ¹

Explanation

Just as the Lincoln Memorial pays tribute to Abraham Lincoln, a memorial is anything that symbolizes or celebrates someone who died. Every gravestone in a cemetery is actually a small memorial. A memorial is a service or statue dedicated to someone who died. A memorial service celebrates the life of the deceased. Something written about the dead person can also be called a memorial, and you could say donating to a dead friend's favorite cause is a memorial to them. If it honors the dead, the word memorial probably fits.

Example Sentences

The "Staffordshire 3" memorial was shown to the public at lunchtime on the lower lawn at Tamworth Castle.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Programs from all kinds of events—an early Madonna concert; memorial services for Keith Haring and Abbie Hoffman—that I barely remembered attending.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Huddled around a small makeshift memorial of votive candles and flowers, those gathered demanded that the Inglewood Police Department adopt body-worn cameras, as many police agencies countrywide have done.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Presumably, you’ve already dropped a few thousand bucks on your parents’ burial/cremation/other and memorial, and there are unfortunately more charges to come.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

That some even read the inscribed memorial for two men who died so many years ago.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• ceremony
• headstone
• mausoleum
• plaque
• remembrance
• statue
• tombstone