unpoetic

adjective

un·​po·​et·​ic ˌən-pō-ˈe-tik How to pronounce unpoetic (audio)
: not poetic
unpoetic writing
an unpoetic writer
… a nervous, sensitive, high-strung nature, cast unduly upon a cold, calculating, and unpoetic world.Theodore Dreiser

Examples of unpoetic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This was an obtuse and unpoetic diktat, a showy way to miss the fact that a song’s history—its use over time, by real people, inspired by the exigencies of ritual and action—can inform its meaning more than its mere lyrics ever could. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 15 July 2022 Atlanta and its suburbs are a surprisingly Whitmanesque experiment in pluralism, in which unpoetic concrete strip malls substitute for lyrical spears of summer grass. Sanjena Sathian, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2021 For those who thought of the lyric poem as a reprieve from the humming external world, a chance to wrestle with internal contradictions, Rich’s overt politics felt unlovely, even unpoetic. Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unpoetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unpoetic was in 1635

Dictionary Entries Near unpoetic

Cite this Entry

“Unpoetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpoetic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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