epilogue

noun ep·i·logue \ ˈe-pə-ˌlȯg , -ˌläg \

variants: or less commonly epilog

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of epilogue

1 : a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work

2 a : a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the end of a play; also : the actor speaking such an epilogue

b : the final scene of a play that comments on or summarizes the main action

3 : the concluding section of a musical composition : coda

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Recent Examples of epilogue from the Web

Some give voice to people depicted in the paintings, others provide back stories or epilogues to the scenes unfolding on the canvas.

— los angeles times staff writer, latimes.com, "It's National Poetry Month: Celebrate with words that give voice to pictures," 7 Apr. 2018
The literal connection between the two stories is revealed, almost in passing, in a brief epilogue.

— katy waldman, The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted," 6 Apr. 2018
In an eerie science-fictional epilogue, Mr. Jasanoff imagines waking up in this situation and decides that his experience would be noticeably different and inauthentic.

— steven poole, WSJ, "‘The Biological Mind’ Review: Identify Your Self," 5 Apr. 2018
Fans and teammates had already closed the book on those chapters, but here was the bittersweet epilogue.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Myisha Hines-Allen ends memorable Louisville career with bittersweet Final Four epilogue," 31 Mar. 2018
And then the unexpected happens: Ms. Khoury pulls a nifty epilogue out of her hat.

— elisabeth vincentelli, New York Times, "Review: ‘Against the Hillside’ Is an Eye on Drone Warfare," 8 Feb. 2018
But the song took on new meaning this week, sounding a bit more like an epilogue to the Utah Republican’s 41-year career in Congress.

— derek hawkins, Washington Post, "'Your love is like a river': Orrin Hatch as song writer," 3 Jan. 2018
This is all information that could have been relaid in a tidy epilogue.

— rebecca farley, refinery29.com, "After The Final Rose," 7 Mar. 2018
Finley ends with a poetic epilogue that draws themes into focus, and gives voice to them.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "In creepy 'Thoroughbreds,' teen horse play really gets out of hand," 7 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epilogue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

From its Greek roots, epilogue means basically "words attached (at the end)". An epilogue often somehow wraps up a story's action, as in the one for a famous Shakespeare play that ends, "For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo". In nonfiction books, we now often use the term afterword instead of epilogue, just as we now generally use foreword instead of prologue. Movies also often have a kind of epilogue--maybe a scene after the exciting climax when the surviving lovers meet in a café to talk about their future. The epilogue of a musical composition, after all the drama is over, is called the coda (Italian for "tail").

Origin and Etymology of epilogue

Middle English epiloge, from Middle French epilogue, from Latin epilogus, from Greek epilogos, from epilegein to say in addition, from epi- + legein to say — more at legend

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First Known Use: 15th century

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