as in hymn
a religious song
the monks offered up a canticle at dawn on Easter morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canticle
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canticle
Noun
-
The songs themselves drew inspiration from real Shaker hymns from the 1700s.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Civil contributes his own piano playing too — notably a Bach hymn that serves as the story’s crowning moment of failure as triumph.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Italian brainrot anthems infest Spotify Viral 50 charts across the world, from Denmark to Sweden to Peru to the Czech Republic.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The honor fell to Rival Son’s majestic vocalist Jay Buchanan, who took the stage barefoot, in a maroon suit, and proceeded to devour the angry rock anthem.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Archbishop Bernard Hebda addressed some 2,000 people at the vigil, where psalms were sung and the silences burrowed deep in the wide room.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Twin Cities,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Kretzmer-Seed felt strongly about the inclusion of psalms from the Hallel service as well as a Spanish-Portuguese prayer for those in captivity, which was originally written for victims of the Spanish Inquisition.—
Marla Brown Fogelman,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canticle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canticle. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share