Thesaurus results for VESTIGE

Q: How is the word 'vestige' distinct from other similar nouns?

The words trace and track are common synonyms of vestige . While all three words mean "a perceptible sign made by something that has passed," vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone. // boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

Q: When could 'trace' be used to replace 'vestige'?

In some situations, the words trace and vestige are roughly equivalent. However, trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect. // the killer left no traces

Q: Where would 'track' be a reasonable alternative to 'vestige'?

While the synonyms track and vestige are close in meaning, track implies a continuous line that can be followed. // the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

vestige

noun

ˈve-stij

Definition of vestige next

as in relic

a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished a few strange words carved on a tree were the only vestige of the lost colony of Roanoke

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as in footstep

the mark or impression made by a foot the fossilized vestige of a dinosaur that traversed that muddy landscape millions of years ago

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How is the word vestige distinct from other similar nouns?

The words trace and track are common synonyms of vestige. While all three words mean "a perceptible sign made by something that has passed," vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

When could trace be used to replace vestige?

In some situations, the words trace and vestige are roughly equivalent. However, trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect.

the killer left no traces

Where would track be a reasonable alternative to vestige?

While the synonyms track and vestige are close in meaning, track implies a continuous line that can be followed.

the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

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 vestige The wooden fort is long gone, but stone gun mounts and other small vestiges remain on the property along the Thames River, along with a more recent monument. —

Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2025 Filled with vestiges of yesteryear, the Butte historic district is one of the largest in the country. —

Janie Osborne, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024 Supporters say forced labor in state prisons is a vestige of slavery and that the practice disproportionately affects people of color. —

Andre Mouchard, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024 Solvang, the vestige of a Danish settlement once regarded as something of an oddity of the Central Valley, now has lines out the door of every restaurant. —

Maxwell Williams, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vestige

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vestige

Noun

Highland is a relic of several bygone eras: one in which burial grounds were segregated by race, but also one where cemeteries played a more active role in community and religious life.

— Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2025
The pure simplicity of 2-D games like Tecmo Bowl, Pac-Man, and even the raging kitchen fires within The Sims, are relics of a more facile era in gaming.

— David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025