poetic

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adjective po·et·ic \ pō-ˈe-tik \

Definition of poetic

1 a :of, relating to, or characteristic of poets or poetry

b :given to writing poetry

2 :written in verse

3 :having or expressing the qualities of poetry (as though aesthetic or emotional impact)

her poetic beauty

See poetic defined for English-language learners

See poetic defined for kids

Examples of poetic in a Sentence

your description of the sun setting over the Grand Canyon was a particularly poetic piece of writing

Recent Examples of poetic from the Web

Original music, choreography and poetic words of Elementz artistic community.

— rasputin todd, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do this week: Aug. 28-Sept. 4," 28 Aug. 2017
Their poetic conversation began a year and a half ago, and grew out of joint organizing between Los Angeles’ Japanese-American and Muslim-American communities.

— anika gupta, Smithsonian, "At the Smithsonian’s first Asian-American Lit Fest, Writers Share Falooda, Politics and Poetry," 24 Aug. 2017
Well, A Song of Ice and Fire certainly sounds poetic enough.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "14 Game of Thrones Theories That Will Blow Your Mind in Season 7," 23 Aug. 2017
Barbara McCullough - A poetic meditation on the strength of African American music and activism embodied in the history of Los Angeles through the life of musician, composer, and community activist Horace Tapscott (1934-1999).

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Critical darling 'Mudbound' to headline 2017 New Orleans Film Festival," 22 Aug. 2017
The journey of the Voyagers, like the landing of the Mars rovers or the death spiral of the Cassini spacecraft, still occasions poetic calls to a higher cosmic purpose.

— rebecca boyle, The Atlantic, "Will Trump Take Notice of the Eclipse?," 17 Aug. 2017
The word choices, visuals and overall poetic care are important here.

— gayle clemans, The Seattle Times, "Review: Frye show strikes balance between family history, social commentary," 11 Aug. 2017
St. Félix writes with poetic frustration in an attempt to capture the show’s role in perpetuating racial tensions for viewer fodder.

— ikya kandula, Longreads, "Failed Promises: A ‘Bachelorette’ Reading List," 8 Aug. 2017
Shakespeare's poetic observations inspire visual voyage through landscapes-enchanted and real, and dreams-light and dark.

— luann gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Free and fun events this weekend: July 21-23," 20 July 2017

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

First Known Use of poetic

1500

poetic Synonyms

Synonyms

bardic, lyric, lyrical, poetical, poeticized

Antonyms

prosaic, prose, unlyrical, unpoetic

Related Words

metrical (or metric), rhyming (also riming), rhythmic (or rhythmical); rhapsodic (also rhapsodical); florid, flowery, grandiloquent, highfalutin (also hifalutin), high-flown, ornate, purple; glamorized (also glamourized), idealized, romanticized; figurative, metaphoric (or metaphorical), symbolic (also symbolical)

Near Antonyms

factual, literal, matter-of-fact; antipoetic

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

POETIC Defined for English Language Learners

poetic

play

adjective

Definition of poetic for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or characteristic of poets or poetry
: having a beautiful or graceful quality

POETIC Defined for Kids

poetic

play

adjective po·et·ic \ pō-ˈe-tik \

variants: or poetical \-i-kəl\

Definition of poetic for Students

:of, relating to, or like that of poets or poetry

poetic words

Learn More about poetic

See words that rhyme with poetic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for poetic Spanish Central: Translation of poetic Nglish: Translation of poetic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of poetic for Arabic speakers

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poetic

Definition of poetic

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Examples of poetic in a Sentence

Recent Examples of poetic from the Web

First Known Use of poetic

poetic Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Literature Terms

POETIC Defined for English Language Learners

poetic

Definition of poetic for English Language Learners

POETIC Defined for Kids

poetic

Definition of poetic for Students

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