epilogue

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

variants: or less commonly epilog

|Updated on: 10 Jun 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

When at long last the volume drops from 11 and Mr. Preston reflects on his 10-year arc, the epilogue is a contemplative decrescendo of hard-won humility and gratitude.

— forrest pritchard, WSJ, "‘The New Farm’ and ‘Fruitful Labor’ Reviews: Betting the Farm on Organic," 13 Apr. 2018
But for all of the drama, the worst scares are in the epilogue.

— New York Times, "17 Refreshing Books to Read This Summer," 17 May 2018
While the musical will center on her life, Diana's 1997 death in a Paris car crash will be addressed in an epilogue.

— liz cantrell, Town & Country, "The Princess Diana Musical Is Coming to Broadway," 3 May 2018
As Pottermore pointed out (whilst referencing the Deathly Hallows epilogue, which, perfect), the wee prince's names are also Weasley family names.

— sally holmes, Marie Claire, "Prince Louis' Name Is a Magical Harry Potter Reference," 27 Apr. 2018
Adi Robertson: Atwood’s book does offer a sort of escape in its metafictional epilogue, which is set after the fall of Gilead.

— laura hudson, The Verge, "Is The Handmaid’s Tale still worth the agony of watching it?," 27 Apr. 2018
First mentioned in Rowling’s Deathly Hallows‘ epilogue for his curt nod, Boyle takes that quick footnote and turns Scorpius into a fleshed out, complex character with a polarizing personality and quirky mannerisms.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," 23 Apr. 2018
The eighth tale picks up 19 years after the events of Deathly Hallows with a middle-aged Harry sending his youngest son Albus off to Hogwarts (the play’s first scene is nearly word-for-word from the final novel’s epilogue).

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," 23 Apr. 2018
The movie’s epilogue sends us out on a flat note, but Kirke, and her character, make an impression.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Kirke captains 'Gemini,' a nimble neo-noir," 4 Apr. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year