requiem

noun

ˈre-kwē-əm
Definition of requiemnext
as in lament
a composition expressing one's grief over a loss the choir will sing Mozart's Requiem

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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 requiem There, he was honored with salutes and a requiem. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025 In the process, Gimme Shelter became not just a record of a tour, but a requiem for the 1960s counterculture and its utopian promise. — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025 The Duke of York retreated from public life in November 2019 after a car crash interview with the BBC about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, but attended the requiem mass at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon. — Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025 People, mostly clad in black, marshalled quietly into the church ahead of the requiem. — Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 23 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for requiem
Recent Examples of Synonyms for requiem
  1. lament
  2. elegy
  3. dirge
Noun
  • At first glance, the title sounds like another lament for the decline of local newspapers.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
  • The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd.
    — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of lament
Noun
  • This isn’t just an elegy for a lost boy, but also a way for McElwee to put his own career into the larger context of his life.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026
  • Last week, some of the brightest minds of my generation left us angry elegies and poetic travelogues.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of elegy
Noun
  • Ashura processions are usually dramatic affairs, with chanters singing elegies or dirges dedicated to Hussein, while audience members beat their chests and engage in displays of mourning.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026
  • This is the starting point of Earth 7, Deb Olin Unferth’s stellar and sweeping science fiction novel that is part cosmic comedy and part dirge to our dying world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Definition of dirge

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requests
requiem
requiems
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Cite this Entry

“Requiem.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/requiem. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on requiem

Nglish: Translation of requiem for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about requiem

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