remembrance

remembrance — noun

1. the act of intentionally calling a deceased person or a significant past occasio

1.nounB2
Definition

the act of intentionally calling a deceased person or a significant past occasion to mind, usually as a gesture of honour or respect

Example

Every year on Remembrance Day, Saira places a red poppy on her grandfather's grave.

A bronze statue stands in remembrance of the nurses who died in the war.

collocation: 'in remembrance of' + [person/group]

Common collocations
  • in remembrance of
  • remembrance ceremony
  • day of remembrance
  • remembrance service
  • remembrance poppy
Synonyms
  • commemoration

    more public and event-focused; a commemoration is an official ceremony, while remembrance is a quieter mental act

  • memorial

    a physical object or event that serves to remember; a memorial is concrete (statue, service), whereas remembrance is the act itself

  • tribute

    focuses on the expression of respect or praise, which can be through words or actions, not just the act of remembering

Antonyms
  • oblivion

    the state of being forgotten or no longer remembered

Grammar Patterns

in remembrance of [person/event]

remembrance of [person/event]

Usage Note

Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'in remembrance of,' which introduces the honoree. This sense is uncountable and used in ceremonial or formal contexts only — not for casual remembering.

Common Mistakes

I bought a card in remembrance of her birthday.
I bought a card in memory of her birthday.
'remembrance' here implies honouring someone who has died, not simply celebrating an occasion.

2. something from the past that you are able to bring back into your mind; a person

2.nounB2
Definition

something from the past that you are able to bring back into your mind; a personal memory that may be clear or unclear

Example

Andrew shared a childhood remembrance of building treehouses along the river with his older brother.

The old photograph stirred a vague remembrance of summer afternoons spent at his aunt's farm.

vague remembrance of [something]

Common collocations
  • childhood remembrance
  • vague remembrance
  • faint remembrance
  • earliest remembrance
  • stir a remembrance
Synonyms
  • memory

    the everyday word for something recalled from the past; less formal and more common than 'remembrance'

  • recollection

    suggests a deliberate effort to bring a memory to mind, whereas remembrance can be a spontaneous or vague memory

  • reminiscence

    often a warm, fond memory of a past time, and typically used in plural ('reminiscences')

Antonyms
  • forgetfulness

    the state of no longer being able to recall something

Grammar Patterns

remembrance of [past event/thing]

Usage Note

Countable when referring to a specific recollection ('a childhood remembrance'); uncountable when used more generally ('lost in quiet remembrance'). This sense is more literary and formal than the everyday word 'memory' — in casual speech, 'memory' is preferred.

Common Mistakes

I have a clear remembrance of what happened yesterday.
I have a clear memory of what happened yesterday.
'remembrance' sounds overly formal for everyday recent memories; use 'memory' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words involve honouring someone or something from the past, but they differ in focus. Remembrance (sense 1) is the inward mental act of keeping someone in your thoughts — it can be private and silent, as in 'a moment of remembrance.' Commemoration is more public and event-driven: a commemoration is an official ceremony or celebration that marks an anniversary or a historic event. Memorial refers to a physical structure or object built to preserve the memory of a person or event — you can touch a memorial, whereas remembrance is intangible. Tribute shifts emphasis to the expression of admiration or gratitude, which can be given through words, gifts, or actions even if the honoree is still alive ('a tribute to her years of service'). In practice: you hold a commemoration (ceremony), you build a memorial (object), you pay tribute (action), but you simply engage in remembrance (thought).

commemorationmemorial ↗tribute ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • only in preserved phrases

Phrases

  • bring to remembrance
  • call to remembrance

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Remembrance entered English in the 1300s through Old French, where 'remembrance' meant 'memory, recollection.' The French word came from 'remembrer' (to remember), which itself traces back to the Latin verb 'rememorari' — a combination of 're-' (again) and 'memorari' (to be mindful), built on the root 'memor' (mindful, remembering). The same Latin root gave English 'memory,' 'memorial,' and 'remember,' making 'remembrance' a close cousin of these more common words.