objective correlative

noun

: something (such as a situation or chain of events) that symbolizes or objectifies a particular emotion and that may be used in creative writing to evoke a desired emotional response in the reader

Examples of objective correlative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For the rest of us, the year was mainly defined by a months-long runny nose, a sort of objective correlative for our now-permanent sense of dread. oregonlive, 21 Dec. 2022 Saturday’s march is the objective correlative of that. David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 23 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'objective correlative.' 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

Note: As a literary term introduced by T. S eliot in the essay "Hamlet and His Problems," The Athenaeum, no. 4665, September 26, 1919, p. 941. In a more general philosophical sense the phrase was used by Washington allston in a posthumously published "Lecture on Art" (Lectures on Art, and Poems, New York, 1850, p. 16).

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of objective correlative was in 1919

Dictionary Entries Near objective correlative

Cite this Entry

“Objective correlative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/objective%20correlative. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

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