as in hymnbook
a book of hymns
hymnals are distributed among the congregation before the church service so everyone can join in the singing
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Recent Examples of hymnal
Some objects come with a bit of mystery, like this hymnal cover.
—
Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 19 Nov. 2025
To illustrate his point, Mogomo held up a copy of a hymnal in Shona, a local language spoken in many parts of Zimbabwe, drew inspiration from an English hymnal but is retrofitted to contain more culturally meaningful liturgy.
—Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Nov. 2025
Although his own roots are Baptist, the North Little Rock native is no stranger to the Methodist hymnal.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025
Worship music gained traction in the late ’70s and ’80s, when seminal CCM songwriters like Rich Mullins modernized the classic Protestant hymnal structure by combining it with the aesthetics of modern Black gospel, emphasizing a soaring, anthemic rock chorus that everyone could sing along to.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hymnal
Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 19 Nov. 2025
To illustrate his point, Mogomo held up a copy of a hymnal in Shona, a local language spoken in many parts of Zimbabwe, drew inspiration from an English hymnal but is retrofitted to contain more culturally meaningful liturgy.
—Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Nov. 2025
Although his own roots are Baptist, the North Little Rock native is no stranger to the Methodist hymnal.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025
Worship music gained traction in the late ’70s and ’80s, when seminal CCM songwriters like Rich Mullins modernized the classic Protestant hymnal structure by combining it with the aesthetics of modern Black gospel, emphasizing a soaring, anthemic rock chorus that everyone could sing along to.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hymnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hymnal
Noun
-
When the Bengsons tell us to open our metaphorical hymnbooks to whatever page, we’re meant to kneel or stand or bow our heads accordingly.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Nelson also broadened leadership by appointing non-American members to the top governing body and supported regional hymnbooks reflecting local cultures.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Most important, Sarr wants to arrange a complete psalmody in Wolof.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Hymnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hymnal. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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