paean

noun

ˈpē-ən How to pronounce paean (audio)
Definition of paeannext
as in tribute
a formal expression of praise his retirement party featured many paeans for his long years of service to the company

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paean The film, ostensibly started as a promotional tool, ends up being a paean to pop as a site of projection. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026 Nazi parades set to electronic hype music; paeans to Third Reich governance. — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 But that success also led to the sci-fi woodland antics of The Wild Robot; the Oscar-winning, postapocalyptic vision of feline collaboration in Flow; and the paean to basketball teamwork that was this year’s Goat. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 Friedman’s paean to globalization was the embodiment of conventional wisdom — two decades ago. — Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paean
  1. tribute
  2. commendation
  3. citation
  4. homage
Noun
  • The company served as the title sponsor of All-Star Village from July 11–14 in Philadelphia, filling roughly 500,000 square feet with interactive exhibits, youth baseball activities, player tributes, food vendors, and a family party-like atmosphere.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 25 July 2026
  • Jim Carrey has paid tribute to his The Mask director Chuck Russell, who died Wednesday at the age of 74.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 July 2026
Definition of tribute
Noun
  • The novel earned commendations from authors such as Salman Rushdie and Amitav Ghosh.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
  • His contributions to Japanese cinema earned him the 2004 Kawakita Prize and a commendation from Japan’s Foreign Ministry in 2008.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 July 2026
Definition of commendation
Noun
  • The city of Miami dismissed five citations issued to owner-hosts without a code enforcement board hearing or fines after their online listings were briefly removed.
    — Joan Chrissos, Miami Herald, 28 July 2026
  • Reddit's citation share grew at least 73% between October 2025 and January 2026, and Perplexity alone pulled nearly a quarter of its citations from Reddit in one month.
    — Tobias Fischer, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of citation
Noun
  • Yet, in typical Star Trek fashion, the episode finds ways to go beyond mere homage and make these elements fit comfortably into the larger Star Trek universe.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 July 2026
  • The project is set across three buildings named Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini, an homage to its history, with a new piazza that connects the site with the neighborhood.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of homage

Browse Nearby Words

pads
paean
paeans
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Paean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paean. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on paean

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about paean

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kludge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All