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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elegiac
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
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
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
Quietly elegiac and lushly romantic, this beloved piece captures the play’s contemplative pace and the sense of grief and yearning that runs throughout.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elegiac
Adjective
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His relentless prepackaged positivity — even in the wake of depressing game day results — turned him into something of a punch line.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The depressing effect of the seasonality is somewhat offset by the ‘5’ effect.—
Bill Sarubbi,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Buchwald pointed to research from The Lancet Psychiatry which found adults who engaged in regular physical activity experienced a 25 percent reduction in depressive symptoms.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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As someone who has never been swayed by Gad’s particular brand of obnoxiously chipper humor, Noah’s depressive snark finds him in a much more comfortable register.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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Netflix struck gold with Wednesday, the supernatural horror-comedy centered on the sardonically morbid teenage daughter of the Addams Family.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
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The morbid scene was quite a shock for our trio of sleuths, and for audiences.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Riffing taps into this same attachment dynamic.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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For the Indian market, Jain says the adaptation taps into universal themes while reflecting familiar social dynamics.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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Also, reggae events are way more chill.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
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As per usual, the expressions are non-chill filtered and bottled at their natural color.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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