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
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
The bulk of McCartney’s setlist consisted of Beatles songs—more than 20 of them—but the show didn’t feel like a nostalgia tour, because the effect was less sentimental and more elegiac.
—
David L. Ulin,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
Roversi’s elegiac style was inspired by the Byzantine architecture and cultural backdrop of his hometown as well as the work of August Sander, Robert Frank and Diane Arbus.
—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
The bulk of McCartney’s setlist consisted of Beatles songs—more than 20 of them—but the show didn’t feel like a nostalgia tour, because the effect was less sentimental and more elegiac.
—
David L. Ulin,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
Noun
There’s also something a little elegiac about it.
—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elegiac
Adjective
-
The feeling inside the house is quiet and somber.
-
Typical of Vandenberg weather, a marine layer of low clouds and fog added a somber look to the scene.
Noun
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Ashura processions are usually dramatic affairs, with chanters singing elegies or dirges dedicated to Hussein, while audience members beat their chests and engage in displays of mourning.
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The film uses one man’s late life as an elegy for a disappearing Canarian way of being, its rituals, its rootedness, its relationship to the land.
Adjective
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My father is a can-do, glass-half-full guy, a quality that has always felt like a rebuke of my own bleak world view, which makes the poor man literally wince.
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The numbers were even bleaker in other categories.
Noun
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Small white lights shine through the fabric to guide your taps.
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Return your right hand to the floor and repeat on the other side (this time, left hand taps right shoulder).
Adjective
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To be fair, abducted 9-year-old Rainy is pretty cute, with solemn eyebrows and a conscience that continually puts her in peril.
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The once-rising developer’s solemn promise is not likely to be fulfilled if court records in his federal criminal case and a parallel Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit are any indication.
Noun
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The screenplay’s dirge-like momentum is ironic as Sarnoski has set out to make a movie itself about storytelling.
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The already dirge-like film downshifts further, towards a more pleasant state of repose, as Robin convalesces.
Adjective
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After watching and enjoying the film, a somewhat depressing thought leaped into my mind.
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After a depressing four-year hiatus, Bus Palladium has been transformed into a 35-room luxury hotel with a bar, restaurant, and club by building owner Christian Casmèze and hotelier Nicolas Saltiel, with architecture and interiors by the design firm Studio KO.
Adjective
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Tourism and city officials say that marketplace channels festival foot traffic directly to Black entrepreneurs and helps keep dollars circulating in local neighborhoods long after the stages go dark.
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Jason kept the look casual in a light blue graphic T-shirt, white shorts, a baseball cap and dark sunglasses.
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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