litany

noun

lit·​a·​ny ˈli-tə-nē 

ˈlit-nē

plural litanies

1

: a prayer consisting of a series of invocations and supplications by the leader with alternate responses by the congregation

the Litany of the Saints

2

a

: a resonant or repetitive chant

… a litany of cheering phrases.

—Herman Wouk

b

: a usually lengthy recitation or enumeration

a familiar litany of complaints

c

: a sizable series or set

a litany of problems

The drug has a litany of possible side effects.

Did you know?

A Short History of Litany

How do we love the word litany? Let us count the ways. We love its original 13th century meaning, still in use today, referring to a call-and-response prayer in which a series of lines are spoken alternately by a leader and a congregation. We love how litany has developed in the intervening centuries three figurative senses, and we love each of these as well: first, a sense meaning “repetitive chant”; next, the “lengthy recitation” sense owing to the repetitious—and sometimes interminable—nature of the original litany; and finally, an even broader sense referring to any sizeable series or set. Though litanies of this third sort tend to be unpleasant, we choose today to think of the loveliness found in the idea of “a litany of sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.”

Examples of litany in a Sentence

He has a litany of grievances against his former employer.

The team blamed its losses on a litany of injuries.

Recent Examples on the Web

There are a litany of other messaging apps, like Whatsapp and Messenger, that executives keep up with too. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2026

Lee addressed the litany of ailments with his big men. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025

Witnesses testifying at a June 1989 congressional hearing held by a subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee in Washington heard a litany of horror stories of patients maimed by surgeons with dubious training and credentials. —Jason Kane, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025

According to Open Doors, the continent’s most populous nation saw the worst persecution in Africa in 2025, with ‘non-stop stories of deadly attacks and kidnappings’ across Nigeria’s north and Middle Belt — a litany of villages torched, citizens raped, abducted, shot and beheaded. —Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English letanie, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin litania, from Late Greek litaneia, from Greek, entreaty, from litanos supplicant

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

litany

noun

lit·​a·​ny ˈlit-ᵊn-ē 

ˈlit-nē

plural litanies

: a prayer consisting of a series of lines spoken alternately by a leader and the congregation