hymnal

noun

hym·​nal ˈhim-nəl How to pronounce hymnal (audio)
Synonyms of hymnalnext
: a collection of church hymns

Synonyms of hymnal

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of hymnal in a Sentence

hymnals are distributed among the congregation before the church service so everyone can join in the singing
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
At first a dirge, then the tempo rises, and the hymnal swells. — Jenny Adams, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025 Some objects come with a bit of mystery, like this hymnal cover. — Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 19 Nov. 2025 Onstage, musicians scroll through New Age worship lyrics on iPhones propped on tripods, where hymnals once might have been. — Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026 Although his own roots are Baptist, the North Little Rock native is no stranger to the Methodist hymnal. — Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hymnal

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hymnale, from Medieval Latin, from Latin hymnus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hymnal was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

hymn
hymnal
hymnary
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hymnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hymnal. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

hymnal

noun
hym·​nal ˈhim-nəl How to pronounce hymnal (audio)
: a book of hymns

More from Merriam-Webster on hymnal

Nglish: Translation of hymnal for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All