Words / C1

k-uh-MEM-uh-rayt/kəˈmeməreɪt/

To commemorate is to remember and show respect for an important person or event: a plaque commemorates the founder. Remember is everyday and private; celebrate can be joyful (wrong for a tragedy); memorialise is a close synonym. Commemoration is the noun; commemorative is the adjective (a commemorative stamp). In speech, mark or remember publicly is enough. Match the tone to the event.

Meaning

To remember and show respect for an important person or event.

Examples

• “A plaque commemorates the founder.”
• “A small ceremony commemorates the students who did not come back.”
• “The exhibition commemorates the strike, not the factory’s later branding.”

Good to know

Mark in public memory. Noun: commemoration. Everyday: remember / mark. Close: memorialise. Contrast: celebrate (often joyful).

Near in meaning

memorialise

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