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
Chris Klimek, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2026
Whether set in Jewish eastern Europe or New York’s Lower East Side, Shtok’s range is on full display, from gossipy melodramas and elegiac reveries to coming of age portraits of shtetl adolescents and immigrant hustlers.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
The sheer earnestness of director Ugo Bienvenu’s elegiac, even mournful tale feels as appealingly anachronistic as its lush 2D animation.
—Chris Klimek, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2026
Whether set in Jewish eastern Europe or New York’s Lower East Side, Shtok’s range is on full display, from gossipy melodramas and elegiac reveries to coming of age portraits of shtetl adolescents and immigrant hustlers.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
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
-
In 2016, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a somber visit to the Pearl Harbor memorial site alongside then-President Barack Obama.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
But the mood at the event that February evening was notably sombre.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But just as the season was looking bleak, the Horned Frogs began to evolve into the best versions of themselves.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2026
-
But as bleak losses pile up at the end of another disappointing season, this defensive disconnect remains a clear focal point for the team’s plans to build a better future.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In Berceuse Parish, there are so many elegies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The show, a sort of elegy for Gen X, opens with a flash-forward to July 16, 1999, the final hours of Carolyn and John.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The solemn Moon is stepping into Capricorn, awakening your 12th House of Solitude and Healing.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians, who may reflect, fast and attend special church services.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These allegations obviously don’t stem from taps on the tush for corrective measures.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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Two weeks ago, the South Side establishment found itself in the spotlight after a video showed a rat under the beer taps.—
Mamie Bah,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This provides an initially pretty good, if incredibly depressing, joke.—
Chase Hutchinson,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
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Four of his early films Wiseman described as some of the most depressing films ever made.—
David Pogue,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The temperature plunges; Reilly’s trills harden into an Old World dirge.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 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
Adjective
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That’s why our testers—spanning a wide range of skin types, ages, and skin concerns—have spent months determining which products actually deliver on their fine-line-smoothing and dark-circle-erasing promises.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
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The suspect has a dark complexion and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and blue pants, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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