poetical

adjective

po·​et·​i·​cal pō-ˈe-ti-kəl How to pronounce poetical (audio)
1
: poetic
2
: being beyond or above the truth of history or nature : idealized
had poetical ideas about love
poetically adverb
poeticalness noun

Examples of poetical in a Sentence

love letters that were filled with poetical phrases
Recent Examples on the Web James Connolly once said that no revolutionary movement is complete without its poetical expression. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2023 Full of comic scenes, the novel was in marked contrast to the spare poetical prose of Ms. Pineda’s earlier novels. New York Times, 17 Aug. 2022 The detailing of this superlative and at times poetical couture — which sparkled throughout with brocade, paillettes, sequins and gleaming silks — spoke for itself. Thomas Adamson, ajc, 24 Jan. 2023 African American communities, as well as the melancholy poetical drift of his cinematic style. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2023 But inspiration that even another artist can hear, and a painter can listen to and paint his greatest painting because of the poetical words that’s passing through his mind. Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2022 Barclay distilled the play and music to about two hours, translated the poetical spoken text into modern-day, vernacular English, and interpolated contemporary references to engage audiences and elicit laughter. Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2022 Gurney counted among his friends the composer Ralph Vaughn Williams, who became a mentor and a champion of his music, as well as the war poets Edmund Blunden and F.W. Harvey, who recognized Gurney’s remarkable poetical gifts. David Yezzi, WSJ, 16 July 2021 This ingredient is as classic as Ivory soap—and, like that product, possessed of a pristine snowy-white visual appeal and a buoyancy both literal and poetical. Forest Evashevski, WSJ, 14 July 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poetical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of poetical was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near poetical

Cite this Entry

“Poetical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poetical. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

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