poetry

noun

ˈpō-ə-trē How to pronounce poetry (audio)
Definition of poetrynext
1
as in song
writing that uses rhythm, vivid language, and often rhyme to provoke an emotional response not all poetry has to rhyme

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2
as in rhetoric
the art or power of speaking or writing in a forceful and convincing way the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King were filled with the kind of poetry that touches people of all races

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 poetry The proceedings included a Mexican wedding lasso tradition and a live poetry creation by Alexcia Panay. — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Dan Chiasson has been writing for the Review since 2009, focusing initially on new poetry collections and quickly expanding to include subjects as various as Keith Richards and Richard Linklater and Lydia Davis and the future of the humanities. — Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books, 20 Oct. 2026 The poetry stopped this week when CoreWeave's debt yields blew up to over 15%, where the rate of return on CoreWeave's spend is too low to justify the build. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026 But when Batter gets a dream job at Peck & Peck, the most prestigious poetry quarterly in the world, his life moves into the literary fast lane. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for poetry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poetry
  1. song
  2. rhetoric
  3. verse
  4. rhyme
  5. poesy
Noun
  • There are some apocalypses, the song seems to suggest, where no redemptive beauty can be found.
    — Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Taylor Swift looked back on her earliest days crafting songs in Music City as she was inducted Monday into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, becoming its youngest member at 36.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of song
Noun
  • Israel and Iran ramped up their rhetoric against one another, raising the prospect of a return to open conflict in the Middle East.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Israeli-American Council forcefully condemned his rhetoric as dangerous, dehumanizing hate speech.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of rhetoric
Noun
  • The verse’s watery flow shifted into firmer phrasing in the chorus.
    — Tom Roland, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026
  • After a weak showing in Iowa, Ramaswamy ended his campaign and quickly folded into the broader MAGA-verse.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of verse
Noun
  • Unlike verses of later ballad traditions, collected in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Old English poets rarely used any kind of rhyme and appear not to have followed a regular meter or rhythm.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The rhyme scheme is typically abcb, which means the second and fourth lines end in the same rhyme (b).
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of rhyme
Noun
  • The collection evolved from there into Monica’s distinctive twist on some of her favorite antique and vintage pieces—charms, poesy rings and celestial motifs.
    — Beth Bernstein, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2022
  • Around my neck is my poesy ring 'adventure' necklace, with a locket holding my secret messages.
    — Will Kahn, Town & Country, 8 Mar. 2019
Definition of poesy

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poetries
poetry
poets
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Cite this Entry

“Poetry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poetry. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poetry

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