How to positively describe something, such as a war memorial, which doesn't invoke positive feelings?

Question

If I wanted to express that something such as a holocaust memorial was good to visit I would want to avoid saying something such as "it was great" or "I enjoyed visiting it".

Is there a word that can positively describe something like a memorial without suggesting it was pleasurable?

Some words I've considered, but do not quite fit my needs:

• Tasteful: Something could be tasteful, and I could still wish I hadn't visited it.

• Thought provoking has the same issue, as it doesn't really describe the quality of the experience.

Answer 1

The verb moving can be put to service here.

From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/moving:

stirring or evoking strong feelings or emotions, especially touchingly or pathetically

"The war memorial was a moving experience."

Answer 2

You could consider using memorable:

Worth remembering or easily remembered, especially because of being special or unusual.

Or impressive:

Evoking admiration through size, quality, or skill; grand, imposing, or awesome

[Oxford Online Dictionary]

Answer 3

The memorial had a profound effect on me

Examples taken from the net

1. Memorial Day […] But years of passing by a cemetery on the way to worship time and again have had a profound effect upon me.

2. Throughout the year, the team at Holocaust Memorial Day Trust hears anecdotally about the profound effect that taking part in Holocaust Memorial Day has on individuals and communities.

3. No one else had a better understanding of the problem and how it might be solved. ... No other invention of our time has had such a profound effect on society. John Bardeen had an equally profound influence on contemporary physics...

4. Regardless of being very experienced guides at the Dachau Memorial Site, it had a profound effect on all of us.

5. The story of the drowning only recently came to light. At last year's Memorial Service, Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowland read out the names of the dead for the first time. A world away, in Massachusetts, that reading had a profound effect on Zalot.

   • "For 68 years I had this nightmare," the still spritely Zalot said. "I could hear the men screaming."

Answer 4

I suggest poignant:

Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret: "a poignant reminder of the passing of time"

Answer 5

meaningful

Having a serious, important, or useful quality or purpose: "Our visit to the holocaust memorial was meaningful."

Answer 6

Powerful is the word you are looking for. This is the word I would use to describe my visits to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, the 9/11 memorial in NYC, the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, as well as my trip to Nagasaki Japan where I stood at ground zero. All of these places have had a lasting impact on me.

Answer 7

My mother an I visited the 9/11 memorial this past spring, and the the best I could come up with was "heavy."

I thought hard about this very problem you are asking, and while "memorable," and "impressive" did come to mind, most words seemed to lack something. I don't have a huge command of the English Language, but this was my break down:

Awesome - No
Cool - No
...
Memorable - How?  No emotion, just that I will remember it, goes without saying.
Impactful - Ok, ish.  Doesn't feel right though.
Impressive - What? Thousands die, careful with that word.
Moving - Ok.
Intense - A lot of things can be Intense, what kind of Emotion?
...
Heavy - To me this wraps enough of the above up, without excitement.
    Heavy is strong (Intense), deep emotional impact (not surface level, internal)
    To me it meant there was a lot to take in, thought provoking, and touched me deeply.

My thoughts. But it really depends on how it affected you, personally. Without knowing the feelings it drew up in you, it is difficult for us to suggest a good descriptor. You do not want to use someone else's word to communicate a feeling you had. Look inside of yourself, and really think about it. Skirt from things that you feel don't fit.

Don't dwell on the words that you can't use, find the word that you feel you must use.

What helped me was to step through words, start with the first word that comes to mind, then a word like it, then like that, and so on, thinking about the quality of the word and what you like or want to avoid in it to take you to the next word. It took me a good few days to figure it out for myself. Also, it is important to note that one word that works for one monument/memorial, may not work for the next.

Answer 8

How about worthwhile, as in

My visit to the war memorial was thoroughly worthwhile.

It seems a good choice of words if the main thing you want to get across is the positiveness of the visit for you, without going into the details of your experience.

Answer 9

It could even be inspiring... though whether it inspires one to honor the soldiers, to enter military service, to protest against war, or all of those at once is a separate question.

Answer 10

I think the word "sombre" would be appropriate.

Sombre: having or conveying a feeling of deep seriousness and sadness.

Google's definition of sombre.

Answer 11

I would suggest perhaps Salutary

Answer 12

Awesome, with the right tone of voice could be appropriate.

Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear

Answer 13

The one word that popped into my mind was: surreal.

Here is a relevant excerpt from the article High schoolers get up-close look at Holocaust - AJC.com:

“When he was a freshman, I told him to take the class because it is literally life-changing,” he said. “The trip was moving; it evoked a broad spectrum of emotions. Visiting Krakow and Auschwitz was very heavy; it’s so hard to wrap your head around how many people were slaughtered when you’re walking through the same gas chambers."