necropolis

noun

ne·​crop·​o·​lis nə-ˈkrä-pə-ləs 

ne-

plural necropolises or necropoles nə-ˈkrä-pə-ˌlēz 

ne-

or necropoleis nə-ˈkrä-pə-ˌlās 

ne-

or necropoli nə-ˈkrä-pə-ˌlī 

-ˌlē,

ne-

: cemetery

especially : a large elaborate cemetery of an ancient city

Did you know?

With its -polis ending, meaning "city", a necropolis is a "city of the dead". Most of the famous necropolises of Egypt line the Nile River across from their cities. In ancient Greece and Rome, a necropolis would often line the road leading out of a city; in the 1940s a great Roman necropolis was discovered under the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica. Some more recent cemeteries especially deserve the name necropolis because they resemble cities of aboveground tombs, a necessity in low-lying areas such as New Orleans where a high water table prevents underground burial.

Synonyms

• boneyard
• cemetery
• God's acre
• graveyard
• memorial park
• potter's field

Examples of necropolis in a Sentence

Archaeologists uncovered a necropolis of ancient Rome.

an ancient necropolis that has given archaeologists valuable insights into how people once lived and died

Recent Examples on the Web

Italian archaeologists recently unearthed ancient Roman tombs during the excavation of a necropolis – including one bearing the epitaph of a gladiator. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2025

Nearly 2,000 years after a volcanic eruption caused hot ash to blanket the city, construction on railway lines revealed a necropolis in the Porta Sarno region of Pompeii, according to two April 1 news releases from Italy Ministry of Culture. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025

The statues adorn the wall of a tomb found in a necropolis near Porta Sarno, one of Pompeii’s city gates, according to a statement from Pompeii Archaeological Park. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025

Razor wire was installed over the fence that wraps around it, separating it from the adjoining Evergreens Cemetery, a 225-acre necropolis that is on the National Register of Historic Places. —Maria Cramer, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin, "cemetery," borrowed from Greek Nekrópolis, literally, "city of the dead," name of a large cemetery in a suburb of ancient Alexandria, from nekro- necro- + -polis -polis

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for necropolis

• acropolis
• metropolis
• monopolise
• megalopolis
• propolis