poetic

adjective

po·​et·​ic pō-ˈe-tik 

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 through aesthetic or emotional impact)

poetic language

her poetic beauty

Synonyms of poetic

• poetical
• lyrical
• lyric
• poeticized

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 on the Web

The convergence of these two crafts allows not only for aesthetic exploration, but also becomes a way to honour manual labor as a poetic gesture and a quiet form of resistance to industrial standardisation. —Photovogue, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2025

The album is very straightforward yet still poetic, and very easy to listen to but still complex. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

Horses has never lost any of its fire over the years because her poetic voice was always rooted in the beats of doo-wop and R&B. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Nov. 2025

Far from making poetic speech a mere means of translating a scientific message, talking about the constitution of the physical world must be poetic in some way. —Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing poetic

• poetic justice
• poetic license

Rhymes for poetic

• acetic
• aesthetic
• ascetic
• athletic
• cosmetic
• diegetic
• eidetic
• emetic
• esthetic
• frenetic
• genetic
• helvetic

Kids Definition

poetic

adjective

po·​et·​ic pō-ˈet-ik 

1

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

poetic words

2

: written in verse

poetical

-i-kəl

adjective

poetically

-k(ə-)lē

adverb