Agamemnon

noun

Ag·​a·​mem·​non ˌa-gə-ˈmem-ˌnän How to pronounce Agamemnon (audio)
-nən
: a king of Mycenae and leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War

Examples of Agamemnon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Achilles, enraged that Agamemnon has stolen his war-prize concubine, vows to hang up his armor. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024 But in the myth, spelled out in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, the oracle survived the sack of Troy and was later murdered by Clytemnestra, the avenging wife of the tragedy’s titular king. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2024 Like Flock, Motz is interested in the lore of female vengeance: Judith beheading Holofernes, Medea killing her sons to spite Jason, Clytemnestra stabbing Agamemnon in the bath. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Taylor, who is tall, elastic-limbed, and flame-headed, and Rivera, who is diminutive and constantly seesawing between BDE and hapless confusion, get real mileage out of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023 On his return home from the Trojan War, Agamemnon is ostentatiously welcomed by his queen, Clytemnestra. Teju Cole, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023 The priest offers to ransom her with a priceless treasure, which Agamemnon spurns rudely, and Apollo punishes this sacrilege with a plague. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 When Agamemnon’s queen, Klytemnestra (Anastasia Hille), learns of the plot to advance the war at the price of her child’s life, a ferocious battle of wills unfolds, with Ms. Hille tearing into Agamemnon with a scorching heat to match Mr. Wright’s own. Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 28 July 2022 In the interim, the amateur archaeologist turned his attention to another mythical ruler: Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Agamemnōn

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Agamemnon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Agamemnon

Cite this Entry

“Agamemnon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Agamemnon. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

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