DIRGE Synonyms: 11 Similar and Opposite Words

dirge

noun

ˈdərj

Definition of dirge

as in lament

a composition expressing one's grief over a loss bagpipes played a haunting dirge at the funeral for the fallen leader

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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 dirge The pioneering alt-country band returns with its first album in 30 years—a set of cryptic, languid dirges that feels defiantly out-of-time. — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026 Last year’s version had two good performances, in Onya and Jewels, and was otherwise a total dirge. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2026 Swedish singer-composer Anna von Hausswolff, whose cathedral melodies, intense vocals and doom-laden dirges share much in common with Nordic heavy-metal culture, specializes in mystery and grandiosity. — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026 Thanksgiving can be delightful or draining, a festive feast or a dispiriting dirge. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dirge

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirge

Noun

At first glance, the title sounds like another lament for the decline of local newspapers.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd.

— Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Definition of lament

Noun

Kim Kardashian shared her own elegy for MJ a few hours after her mom on Instagram.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026
The touchstones are plentiful—Harmonia’s cyclical drift, Alice Coltrane’s stargazing elegies, gamelan’s hypnotic shimmer—but the song is strange and unpredictable.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026

Definition of elegy

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direful

dirge

dirgelike

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“Dirge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirge. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of dirge

noun

Example Sentences

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