monuments

noun

plural of monument
1
as in tombstones
a shaped stone laid over or erected near a grave and usually bearing an inscription to identify and preserve the memory of the deceased the Quakers disapproved of monuments, regarding them as idolatrous, so thousands of Nantucketers spend their eternal rest in complete anonymity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in reminders
something that serves to keep alive the memory of a person or event a moving monument to the great war and a tribute to the untold millions who died in it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of monuments Many of Washington’s monuments, buildings and sites have been carefully planned over decades to reflect significant moments in the nation’s history and to evoke symbolism through sightlines that connect them to other sites. — Matthew Daly, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Public monuments condemning slavery have been removed, and Confederate names have been restored to Army bases. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 The monuments will be preserved by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, which said in a statement the statues will be relocated to battlefield sites within the Shenandoah Valley. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 An interesting collective approach to American history was PRX Productions’ provocative series Monumental, in which features by a range of independent producers interrogated the history as reflected in public monuments. — Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026 The weather helped, and the visuals were indeed stunning as the cars zoomed past monuments and museums. — Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Hundreds of similar monuments were built in colonial Algeria during the interwar period. — Shannon Fogg, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026 But that was a talking point of the administration to justify scaling back these monuments. — Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026 The organization intended to use the concrete to establish 100 Berlin Wall monuments across North America, with the project leading into the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2009. — Will McGough, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monuments
  1. tombstones
  2. reminders
  3. stones
  4. memorials
  5. relics
Noun
  • The juvenile green, leafy trees had vanished and were replaced by rows of thin, lifeless trunks staked into the ground like tombstones.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • The eight objects offered at Bonhams and Apollo Art Auction House include statue heads, an inscription and tombstones.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 7 July 2026
Definition of tombstones
Noun
  • Use notification reminders to receive alerts when the robot starts or completes a task, or when an error occurs.
    — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Many of these recipes will be reminders of recipes served after long summer days at the beach or the lake.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of reminders
Noun
  • Ínség-szikla is just one example of Central Europe’s many hunger stones.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
  • After her coffin was lowered into the grave and coral stones were arranged on top, her firstborn son, aged 5, was led to it and wailed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stones
Noun
  • Given its themes of comfort, it is often read or performed at funerals and memorials and has been set to music and referenced in many hymns.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • As the sun rises in Nashville, fan tributes and memorials continue to grow in the area for the late Dolly Parton.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of memorials
Noun
  • Simonian is believed to have smuggled Egyptian relics to institutions that include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre Abu Dhabi for a collective sum of $64 million.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In Freeport, Allen has built the Bahamas Maritime Museum, where relics are cataloged, conserved, and displayed, creating local jobs and drawing tourists.
    — Brett Berk, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of relics

Browse Nearby Words

monumentally
monuments
moo
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Cite this Entry

“Monuments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monuments. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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