Meaning & use
commemoration
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Meanings
nouncountable
A ceremony or event that honors the memory of a person or event.
Grammar: Takes a plural when several events are meant: annual commemorations.
Patterns
- a commemoration of something
- a commemoration for someone
- hold a commemoration
The town held a commemoration for the soldiers lost in the war.
Thousands gathered for the commemoration of the disaster's tenth anniversary.
The school organized a short commemoration on Remembrance Day.
noununcountableformal
The act of remembering and honoring someone or something, for example with a monument, stamp or coin.
Grammar: Uncountable, often in the phrase in commemoration of: a plaque in commemoration of the founder.
Patterns
- in commemoration of something
- a statue in commemoration of someone
A bronze plaque was placed in commemoration of the victims.
The bridge was named in commemoration of its architect.
The mint issued a coin in commemoration of the queen's jubilee.
Word forms
| plural | commemorations |
|---|
Common combinations
- in commemoration of
- A bell was rung in commemoration of the fallen.
- a solemn commemoration
- The solemn commemoration ended with a minute of silence.
- annual commemoration
- The annual commemoration draws crowds to the harbor.
- a commemoration service
- The commemoration service was held in the cathedral.
- hold a commemoration
- The village held a commemoration at the war memorial.
Synonyms and how they differ
- remembrance
- Remembrance stresses the act of keeping someone in mind, while commemoration is the more public event or object that marks it.
- memorial
- Memorial is usually a physical thing, such as a statue, or a service, whereas commemoration names the act of honoring.
- tribute
- Tribute is an act or statement of respect and can be a personal gesture, while commemoration marks a past event or person.
- observance
- Observance is the keeping of a custom or holiday, which may or may not honor a specific memory.
Opposites
Word family
- commemorate verb
- to honor the memory of someone or something
- commemorative adjective
- serving to remember an event
- commemorator noun
- a person who commemorates
- memory noun
- the ability to remember or something remembered
Commonly confused: commemoration or commendation? commemoration or celebration?
commemoration vs commendation
Commendation is praise or an official award for good work, while commemoration honors the memory of the past.
commemoration vs celebration
A celebration is a joyful event; a commemoration may be sad or serious.
Practice
The statue was built ____ the victims of the flood.
Choose one answer.
In commemoration of is the fixed phrase meaning to honor the memory of. The other choices break the pattern or are not natural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “commemoration”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.