threnody

noun

ˈthre-nə-dē How to pronounce threnody (audio)
Definition of threnodynext
as in lament
a composition expressing one's grief over a loss the composer's cello concerto was composed as a moving threnody for his late wife

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 threnody His diary shrank to a litany of suffering and a threnody for what might have been. — Sara Wheeler, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2018 Most critics acknowledged the score’s beautiful moments, especially Cleopatra’s death scene, in which the character’s plaintive lyrical lines are capped by a chilling choral threnody. — Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threnody
  1. lament
  2. elegy
  3. dirge
  4. requiem
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
  • Cue the depressing rain, dark trench coats, and a dire dystopian dirge because the Blade Runner 2099 trailer is here!
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The film’s turning point is a tragedy during a fight arranged by Frankie, making its second half more of a dirge than a sports film.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of dirge
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

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threnodies
threnody
thresh
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Cite this Entry

“Threnody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threnody. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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