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
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026
But only one of them felt moved to memorialize the King in an elegiac poem.
—Kim Willis, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
Shot in black-and-white, the resulting photos have an elegiac quality and suggest the eventual mortality of any innovation or craze—ashes to ashes, rack-and-pinion steering to rack-and-pinion steering.
—Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026
But only one of them felt moved to memorialize the King in an elegiac poem.
—Kim Willis, USA Today, 27 Feb. 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
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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
-
The job market is showing intermittent signs of recovery after a bleak 2025.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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The outlook appeared so bleak that Alexey Miranchuk gestured to the heavens and said, if the team could acquire help from a higher power and get a road win, maybe the ship could be steered in the right direction.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
7 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
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On May 1, Maryland observed Fallen Heroes Day, a solemn reminder of the extraordinary sacrifice made by the men and women who answer the call to serve others.—
Nick Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
-
Protesters carried myriad homemade signs, some tongue-in-cheek, some more solemn.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
2 May 2026
Noun
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The outage impacted around 420 water taps serving roughly 300-350 homes.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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It was thought that the aye-aye’s taps served to identify hollow chambers inside wood using acoustic feedback generated by tapping.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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This offers respite from the music ever feeling too dirge-like.—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
1 May 2026
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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
-
The rooms In darker hues with lots of hardwood and colorful fabrics, the rooms here don’t fall into your standard contemporary look.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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Forty-four of the 89 counties along Route 66 were sundown towns, communities where it was encouraged for Black people to leave before dark — or else.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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