as in hymn
a religious song
the monks offered up a canticle at dawn on Easter morning
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Recent Examples of canticle
That’s the opening line of Slipknot’s rage-rot canticle.
—
Spin Contributor, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2025
Her vocal elevates the song far beyond even its folk roots to something far more traditional, a canticle, a spiritual.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Her vocal elevates the song far beyond even its folk roots to something far more traditional, a canticle, a spiritual.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
That’s the opening line of Slipknot’s rage-rot canticle.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2025
The leaders of this communal canticle were the women of Boygenius — Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2023
The first was Bach’s glorious 12-part canticle, premiered in 1723 as the conclusion of the Christmas Vespers in Leipzig as a sort of meet-your-new-cantor demonstration of his powers.
—Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021
For many students of Dante, Purgatory is the Divine Comedy’s central canticle poetically, philosophically, and psychologically.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
Ancestor Glade is home to a rare canticle tree, the bark of which attracts a whisper of moths to aid you in deciphering an ancient Elder Scroll.
—Cian Maheer, Washington Post, 4 June 2019
Spin Contributor, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2025
Her vocal elevates the song far beyond even its folk roots to something far more traditional, a canticle, a spiritual.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Her vocal elevates the song far beyond even its folk roots to something far more traditional, a canticle, a spiritual.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
That’s the opening line of Slipknot’s rage-rot canticle.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2025
The leaders of this communal canticle were the women of Boygenius — Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2023
The first was Bach’s glorious 12-part canticle, premiered in 1723 as the conclusion of the Christmas Vespers in Leipzig as a sort of meet-your-new-cantor demonstration of his powers.
—Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021
For many students of Dante, Purgatory is the Divine Comedy’s central canticle poetically, philosophically, and psychologically.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
Ancestor Glade is home to a rare canticle tree, the bark of which attracts a whisper of moths to aid you in deciphering an ancient Elder Scroll.
—Cian Maheer, Washington Post, 4 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canticle
Noun
-
The pilgrims sing sacred hymns, while the journalists try to corner cardinals for clues about their papal preferences.—
Daniel Burke,
NPR,
6 May 2025
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With only two episodes left before the Gemstones sing their final hedonistic hymn on the May 4 series finale, Baltz zoomed in from the North Carolina shoot of an upcoming Bobby Farrelly movie to talk about his alter ego’s colorful arc.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Fans in the away end were clambering over each other to sing their anthem about travelling to the Basque country, growing loud on loop in the second half as the game drifted, while Ruben Amorim made his selections and substitutions with the showpiece occasion on Wednesday in mind.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Swift was booed by Eagles fans at the latest Super Bowl, but the anthem surely is something all would rally around, whatever someone’s political or team allegiances.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
The funeral of Pope Francis began with a short musical chant and psalm spoken in Latin after an open Book of the Gospels had been placed on top of Pope Francis’ closed coffin carried by pallbearers from inside St. Peter’s and placed on a red carpet on the edge of the church steps.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
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Fronted by the Swiss Guard, cardinals and other church leaders led the slow procession into the sunlit esplanade as a male choir chanted psalms and prayers in Latin and the great bells of the basilica tolled.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canticle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canticle. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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