necropolis

American  

[nuh-krop-uh-lis, ne-] / nəˈkrɒp ə lɪs, nɛ- /

noun

plural

necropolises

1. a cemetery, especially one of large size and usually of an ancient city.

2. a historic or prehistoric burial ground.

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necropolis British  

/ nɛˈkrɒpəlɪs /

noun

1. a burial site or cemetery

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Other Word Forms

• necropolitan adjective

Etymology

Origin of necropolis

First recorded in 1810–20, necropolis is from the Greek word nekrópolis burial place (literally, city of the dead). See necro-, -polis

Explanation

Use the noun necropolis to talk about a cemetery, especially an ancient, historical burying ground. You are more likely to find King Tut in a necropolis than your Great Aunt Edna. Any graveyard can be called a necropolis, but the word is best used to describe a very large burying ground made up of tombs, or the ancient grave site of a famous or powerful historical figure. The pyramid at Giza, in Egypt, is an example of a necropolis — it's the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh. In Latin, necropolis literally means "city of the dead," from the Greek burial site Nekropolis.

Example Sentences

The museum suffered damage, its windows were blown out, but the explosion did not reach the necropolis nor the Roman-era triumphal arch, aqueducts and hippodrome that are also part of the site.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Today the glamorous necropolis is “the jewel in the crown of cemetery tourism,” Mr. Gallot notes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

A regional court recently struck down a project proposed near Pranu Muttedu, a Neolithic necropolis that has been called the Sardinian Stonehenge.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2024

On 23 October, the IDF issued evacuation orders for neighbourhoods close to the city's Roman ruins, including the remains of a necropolis and a hippodrome.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2024

Even though neither of us was superstitious, that necropolis of crosses, cupolas, and tombstones had us pretty nervous.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende