necropolis
Americannoun
plural
necropolises-
a cemetery, especially one of large size and usually of an ancient city.
-
a historic or prehistoric burial ground.
noun
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
