DIRGE Synonyms: 11 Similar and Opposite Words

dirge

noun

ˈdərj

Definition of dirge

as in lament

a composition expressing one's grief over a loss bagpipes played a haunting dirge at the funeral for the fallen leader

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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 dirge The already dirge-like film downshifts further, towards a more pleasant state of repose, as Robin convalesces. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 11 June 2026 This offers respite from the music ever feeling too dirge-like. — Brendan Hay, SPIN, 1 May 2026 The pioneering alt-country band returns with its first album in 30 years—a set of cryptic, languid dirges that feels defiantly out-of-time. — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026 Last year’s version had two good performances, in Onya and Jewels, and was otherwise a total dirge. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dirge

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirge

Noun

The child studying English was met with loving lament, while the one pursuing computer science at Stanford University was the flag post of family pride.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Prompted by Nan’s lament about their father’s empty casket and his own desire for posthumous reconciliation, Jay sets out to find his dad’s underwater remains near the edge of the canyon at Monastery Beach.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of lament

Noun

Her works are playful and often ironic, relentlessly experimental and not only genre-bending but form-bending, including Nox (New Directions, 2010), a box containing an accordioned elegy to her estranged brother after his death.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Their books are therefore, in some respects, elegies to a conception of reading and writing which seems to be nearing an end.

— Louis Menand, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of elegy

Noun

Family and community gather for a worship service and a requiem, a special service of prayers for the deceased, traditionally followed by prayers at the grave site.

— Shushan Karapetian, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
The objectors' subsequent ululation echoed a requiem for a fallen hero--all over a time shift that accessing the PBS app avoids entirely.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of requiem

Browse Nearby Words

direful

dirge

dirgelike

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“Dirge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirge. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dirge

noun

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