nocturne

noun

noc·turne | \ ˈnäk-ˌtərn

How to pronounce nocturne (audio)

\

Definition of nocturne

: a work of art dealing with evening or night especially : a dreamy pensive composition for the piano — compare aubade sense 3

Examples of nocturne in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The ensemble backdrop is crystalline, misty sighs, while the solo cello line expands into melancholy arias without words; sometimes the tone is passionate, dark-hued nocturne, sometimes ethereal lullaby. — New York Times, "Tyshawn Sorey: The Busiest Composer of the Bleakest Year," 1 Jan. 2021 Roberts made a jazz nocturne of the slow middle movement, his complex chords and original themes catapulting a Roaring ’20s work directly into the 21st century. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Philharmonic review: Marcus Roberts jazzes Gershwin’s Concerto in F," 6 Dec. 2019 The nocturne, marked Lento con gran espressione, begins with a brief, repeated introduction. — Madeleine Kearns, National Review, "Chopin’s Heart, Poland’s Spirit," 14 Mar. 2020 Sitting at his Petrof piano in his penthouse, Martins reels off Frédéric Chopin’s nocturnes with aplomb. — Washington Post, "Brazilian piano legend plays again thanks to ‘magic’ gloves," 23 Jan. 2020 As Cai grew old in the 1980s, his son, Cai Wanghuai, played the nocturne to comfort him. — The Economist, "How China made the piano its own," 18 Dec. 2019 That tells us it’s not exactly a nocturne and certainly not a day scene. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "Puzzling over Meaning in Winslow Homer’s Kissing the Moon," 7 Dec. 2019 After this, Connie Hegarty, piano, explores the development of the nocturne in her performance. — courant.com, "Community News For The West Hartford Edition," 2 Dec. 2019 The first systematic study of Freer’s amazing treasure trove of more than 50 watercolors by James McNeill Whistler and includes figures, landscapes, nocturnes and interiors. — Roger Catlin, Smithsonian, "After More Than Eight Decades, These Exquisite Whistler Watercolors Make Their Public Debut," 18 June 2019

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about nocturne

Dictionary Entries near nocturne

Statistics for nocturne

Last Updated

13 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Nocturne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nocturne. Accessed 27 Feb. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for nocturne

nocturne

noun

English Language Learners Definition of nocturne

: a piece of music especially for the piano that has a soft and somewhat sad melody

See the full definition for nocturne in the English Language Learners Dictionary

WORD OF THE DAY

turbid

Listen to the pronunciation of turbid

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

February 2021 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of perdure?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ