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
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
McGuane’s style grew less frantic, more habitually elegiac.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
The doctor himself is characterized sometimes by boisterously chattering lines, sometimes by semi-Wagnerian bombast; at the end, his music turns elegiac, implicitly undercutting his dreams of beginning anew.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
McGuane’s style grew less frantic, more habitually elegiac.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 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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The mood in some corners of the Penguins locker room was somber on Wednesday.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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The nonprofit provides support to the Jewish community, and leaders reflected on the lifeline that assistance has meant to Odesa on the somber fourth anniversary of the conflict.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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These events aren’t illuminating, and feel instead like a bleak betrayal.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The outlook is bleak for Spurs.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In Berceuse Parish, there are so many elegies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
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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
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Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians, who may reflect, fast and attend special church services.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
27 Feb. 2026
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Inside, the line of those who’d come to see Jackson stretched down the center aisle, and mourners walked in to the sound of solemn gospel music and prayer.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Interior updates include new flooring and bathrooms, upgraded beer taps and modern efficiencies like a point-of-sale system, while the bar’s booze-forward menu will remain.—
Leanne Battelle,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
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The food is meant to complement their selection of 30 taps with domestic and imported beers.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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One day, one of the less depressing reminders of said past comes knocking in the form of an old Navy SEAL buddy, Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green, who’s evolved from Tom Hardy clone to Jon Bernthal lookalike).—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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But Funt’s writing about sports gambling’s ‘winners’ is almost as depressing as the look at its losers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The temperature plunges; Reilly’s trills harden into an Old World dirge.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Both teams wore their dark jerseys for the 266th meeting between the teams and UCLA improved to 150-116 in a series dating to 1928 when UCLA joined the Pacific Coast Conference.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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In all, eight of the 28 shows lost a performance (many productions are dark on Sunday nights anyway), and most took significant box office blows.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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