variants
also elegiacal
as in depressing
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
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The pair previously collaborated on the 2018 thriller Braven, the elegiac 2022 Western The Last Manhunt, and the 2023 sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but Chief of War is their most ambitious partnership yet.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
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
Noun
The photographs bear poetic titles—Le Reflet de ce qu’il reste (The Reflection of What Remains), Gathering the Whispers—underscoring the elegiac tone.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The pair previously collaborated on the 2018 thriller Braven, the elegiac 2022 Western The Last Manhunt, and the 2023 sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but Chief of War is their most ambitious partnership yet.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elegiac
Adjective
-
Compelling, sure, but more depressing than funny.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The news is depressing, and now the Tribune is ignoring what is, for those who are not sports fans, their leading form of entertainment.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Of course as their cross-country road trip progresses and Felice racks up first-round-loss after first-round-loss, Gatti’s louche lifestyle is revealed to have a darker, more depressive aspect.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
These issues ranged from academic difficulties and disruptive behaviors to depressive moods.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This is her elegy, her memorial, her voice, her face.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Not every elegy comes in the form of a dying fall.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead of those memories, survivors are left with the morbid archives of loss.—
Seema Jilani
August 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Aug. 2025
-
There are visual gags — case files scattered around jigsaw puzzle pieces, conversations about blood loss interrupted by Sudoku solving — that insist on finding humor in a pair of old folks taking such morbid extracurricular activities so seriously.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The venue offers 38 taps for its two-legged customers and treats and water bowls for its furry clientele.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
-
At night, the playing of taps takes place.—
Paula Pedene,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The wake itself turns out to be less funereal and more a celebration of life.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Joya had been allowed to pull the flouncy bit off her shoulders, like the singers in ABBA, but since my mother told me to keep covered, the top surrounded me sadly like a funereal wreath.—
Jhumpa Lahiri,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
There’s nothing shiny and new to get excited about and so the apathy and dirge hasn’t been replaced.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Wylde seemed right at home recreating the droning opening dirge as the band slowed down into a stellar stoney groove throughout a standout moment Saturday night.—
Jim Ryan,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
As per usual, the expressions are non-chill filtered and bottled at their natural color.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
In an instant, Brother Dude sheds his non-caring and chill attitude and becomes an emperor in all his authority and confidence.—
Rafael Motamayor,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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