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

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 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
  • For those unable to buy a ticket, fan zones offered communal space to celebrate or lament.
    — Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Chattel slavery, in all its brutality, Sojourner laments, could not just be forgotten; African Americans needed to be compensated for centuries of hardship.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Definition of lament
Noun
  • But that selflessness comes to feel like the point of this lingering, resonantly sad film — above all else, an elegy for lives unseen and unknown.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 July 2026
  • What begins as a novel ostensibly about ‘cancel culture’ quickly shifts into a rueful elegy for a dying world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 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

Browse Nearby Words

requests
requiem
requiems
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Requiem.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/requiem. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on requiem

Nglish: Translation of requiem for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about requiem

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 torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All