variants
also elegiacal
as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the sight of an old ruined church or castle can be a pleasantly elegiac experience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elegiac
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The film’s craft — from production design and makeup to Alexandre Desplat’s elegiac score — is already drawing awards buzz.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
McGuane’s style grew less frantic, more habitually elegiac.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The film’s craft — from production design and makeup to Alexandre Desplat’s elegiac score — is already drawing awards buzz.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
Works of art have particular shapes (three-minute pop songs, three-act plays) and particular moods and tones (comic, tragic, romantic, elegiac).
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elegiac
Adjective
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Dabis embraces the conventions of melodrama with sombre grace.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Jan. 2026
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The new teaser starts off serious and somber, much like the past trailers for Captain America, Thor and the X-Men, but then has a humorous moment when the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) introduces himself to M’Baku (Winston Duke).—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Her family later learned that on April 23, 2021 — the day Parker found his aunt in a bleak mood — Dee had an angry confrontation over financial issues with two employees of the trucking company.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These books can be read as comedies of cognitive dissonance or as melancholy elegies for the very possibility of closure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Dec. 2025
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Public Theater Else Went’s epic elegy to the great loves and losses of high school captured a certain moment — the precarious turn of the millennium — and a certain kind of teenage terror and heartache with precision and compassion.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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More than five hours after the crash, there was a solemn procession off of Route 146 led by Massachusetts State Police, followed by the medical examiner and fellow police officers.—
Anna Meiler,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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That this is a serious matter—not slight at all—does not oblige the author of a seriously funny book to be solemn.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Use the same contactless bank card (or the same Clipper card) for all taps in that trip to receive the transfer discount.—
Phan Khang,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
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For a harder version, try shoulder taps, which involve tapping alternate shoulders in the plank position without twisting.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the story, there is a lot of comedy that naturally arises from tragic moments, from dark, depressing moments.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2026
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This is par for the course, because conversations are confusing, even depressing.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Thanksgiving can be delightful or draining, a festive feast or a dispiriting dirge.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Don't feel afraid to play with bold (but dark) colors and various materials.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
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Open my soul to the vast dark places.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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