as in hymns
a religious song
the monks offered up a canticle at dawn on Easter morning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canticles
Gustave Doré, the celebrated French illustrator, did elaborate engravings for the three canticles in the mid-19th century and devoted 99 out of 135 of them to Dante Alighieri’s darkest scenes.
—
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canticles
Noun
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The music is eclectic and includes sounds associated with Islam as well as bluegrass, hymns and spirituals.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
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The Liberty City rapper born Maurice Samuels isn’t exactly belting out church hymns.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Like all other private and public enterprises in Germany, these guilds now began their meetings with anthems and Hitler salutes.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Apr. 2026
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David Bowie — whose transcendent anthems ring out at key moments in this production — might call them the people on the edge of the night.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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By weaving together songs, sounds, words, and visuals, Psalms gives audiences a real feel for the broader culture.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Point spreads and moneylines ran constantly through my head, mingling with the omnipresent Christmas carols to create a strange backbeat to the holiday season.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
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Each year, Music Hall fills with twinkling lights, the sound of nostalgic carols and the joy of thousands of audience members at Holiday Pops.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canticles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canticles. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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