as in laments
a composition expressing one's grief over a loss
"O Captain! My Captain!" is Walt Whitman's elegy on the death of President Lincoln
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Recent Examples of elegies
In Berceuse Parish, there are so many elegies.
—
Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elegies
Noun
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Warnings, laments, and odes to renewal were expressed pictorially as dying days under bleeding heavens, belching volcanoes, proud icebergs, lavish rainbows amid spangling, mist-suffusing sunlight and dawns of peace and hope.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The sinew between Thundercat and Tame Impala is thick and obvious—one reason that Bruner doesn’t need ubiquitous Kevin Parker’s lethargic laments.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Elegies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegies. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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