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
Kim Willis, USA Today, 27 Feb. 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
Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
But only one of them felt moved to memorialize the King in an elegiac poem.
—Kim Willis, USA Today, 27 Feb. 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
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
-
This is a somber, aching sequence for Bernthal, which Storer shoots from down at his and Ireland’s level, in a long take that is now customary for this show.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 May 2026
-
When Francophiles aligned with Jefferson wore tricolor cockades, Washington’s men responded with sombre black ones.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Speaking at an event held at the Aloft Hotel in Doral, a hub for Venezuelan diaspora activism, Guanipa painted a bleak picture of conditions inside Venezuela and sharply criticized the country’s current leadership, accusing those in power of clinging to control despite widespread rejection.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
-
Without giving too much away about the endings of Caveat and Oddity, McCarthy (like Ohm) leans toward the bleak and open-ended.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
To say an elegy by heart/to zero our dying before birth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 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
-
Protesters carried myriad homemade signs, some tongue-in-cheek, some more solemn.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
2 May 2026
-
Their day began with a solemn visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which involved a meeting with families of victims and first responders.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Downstream from the farm is the spot where Calhoun’s municipal water system draws river water to treat and eventually deliver to the taps of thousands of customers.—
DYLAN JACKSON,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
Calling for the accountability of the war crimes that have been committed through our military action against Venezuela and Iran, specifically regarding double taps and the bombing of Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school.—
Kevin Fixler
May 3,
Idaho Statesman,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Because what could be more depressing than just passively watching the world burn and melt and crumble?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
This level of security is a depressing necessity in modern-day Britain.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
This offers respite from the music ever feeling too dirge-like.—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
1 May 2026
-
The pioneering alt-country band returns with its first album in 30 years—a set of cryptic, languid dirges that feels defiantly out-of-time.—
Zach Schonfeld,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But what exactly happens to these baby stars next isn't always clear (literally) because they are buried deep within clouds of dark, dusty gas that obscure them.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
All the bedrooms can be found upstairs, including one that’s currently being used as an office and a primary suite flaunting dual dressing rooms and baths, plus a sauna clad in dark gray stone.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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