as in halfpenny
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Recent Examples of kenning
Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Noun
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kenning
Noun
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Indeed, in 2023, his music earned him just shy of $200,000, about one halfpenny at a time.—
Brett Martin,
New York Times,
31 Mar. 2024
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In nineteenth-century England, tailors would place old halfpennies in the pockets of a man’s new suit for good luck.—
Hua Hsu,
The New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2023
Verb
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For starters, even though federal law requires hospitals to list their prices publicly, fathoming these files is almost impossible.—
Rufina Chow,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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However, Chiefs veteran center Creed Humphrey says his team won't be listening to those, or even fathoming the thought of panicking.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The tart’s crust was barely there, just a buttery whisper under the fruit.—
Michelle Huneven,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The World Bank’s climate strategy, which sets a climate lending target of 45%, expires in June, but discussions on a new plan are being relegated to whispers in corridors, The Guardian reports.—
Chloé Farand,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The newly-sighted get better at perceiving differences in color, shape, and size — even if they were treated for their congenital cataracts after years of blindness—but not so much at spotting differences in shading or contours.—
Sachin Rawat,
Big Think,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Reading, a way of perceiving ideas through the eyes of others, increases empathy and community, noted one professor.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Sunbeams through the windows illuminate floating dust motes—and, imperceptibly, microdroplets of mucus carrying the measles virus, expelled from an infected but asymptomatic child who is hopping and laughing among the others.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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Easily swept up by wind and carried long distances by water, these tiny motes are also exceedingly difficult to detect and almost impossible to remove from the environment.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Promising results Because the potassium atoms are fermions and can not share the same quantum state, the manipulation produced a geometric phase.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
-
It’s known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB, and is made up of the light that was released when the hot, dense plasma that suffused the early universe cooled enough to form hydrogen atoms.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Putting them under military authority allowed troops to play an unprecedented role in apprehending undocumented immigrants; federal soldiers are generally barred from enforcing the law on domestic soil.—
Agnel Philip,
ProPublica,
2 Apr. 2026
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Fort Worth police officer Bobbie Sanchez, who was elbowed in the jaw while apprehending a suspect, told the Star-Telegram there was not a single oral surgeon in the city’s network who could treat her injuries, which delayed her recovery.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Moreover, Trump cares not a whit about bringing drug traffickers to justice.—
Peter Kornbluh,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
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Miss Keaton…is not a whit like the flustered ingénue she was cast to play.—
Chris Morris,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kenning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kenning. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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