memorial
Americannoun
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something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.
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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.
adjective
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serving to preserve the memory of the dead or a past event
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of or involving memory
noun
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something serving as a remembrance
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a written statement of facts submitted to a government, authority, etc, in conjunction with a petition
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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.
Vocabulary lists containing memorial
Memorial Day Words
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Memorial Day: Words of Respect and Remembrance
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May Vocabulary Words
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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.
In the lavish memorial erected by his grieving widow, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert is golden, but few world leaders are permanently gilded, and certainly not before their deaths.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
At a memorial service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson, his son Jesse Jr. praised his “consistent prophetic voice.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
A special 5K memorial walk is taking place at 11:00 local time on Sunday in Buncrana to remember the lives lost.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Never mind that this makes no sense, that no human has ever hated something as sweet and totally innocuous as a memorial.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
“There’s a memorial service for Scott next weekend.”
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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.
