as in poems
a composition made up of 14 lines that rhyme in a fixed pattern
He wrote gushy sonnets to his girlfriend when he was away at camp.
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Recent Examples of sonnets
Some have suggested that the Bard had romantic liaisons with men, in part implied by sonnets that are charged with homoerotic elements.
—
Nathan Smith, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
Seamus Heaney’s sonnets about Northern Ireland in the 1970s and Annie Ernaux’s memoirs of France in the 1960s propose indirect but approachable ways of engaging with personal and national history.
—Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
The captive—and Cervantes—found something moving in those sonnets, something that gave them the will to hope.
—Ed Simon
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
To the west, the London Eye pirouettes above the skyline—to the east, Shakespeare’s Globe serves legendary sonnets.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Nathan Smith, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
Seamus Heaney’s sonnets about Northern Ireland in the 1970s and Annie Ernaux’s memoirs of France in the 1960s propose indirect but approachable ways of engaging with personal and national history.
—Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
The captive—and Cervantes—found something moving in those sonnets, something that gave them the will to hope.
—Ed Simon
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
To the west, the London Eye pirouettes above the skyline—to the east, Shakespeare’s Globe serves legendary sonnets.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sonnets
Noun
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The whimsical term has also been the title of countless poems, songs and books about remarkable coincidences or eureka moments.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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In addition to sharing poems that reminded him of Murphy, LaChappelle posted a lengthy caption with his own musings.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Ejae, who wrote the lyrics and provided the singing voice for the film's character Rumi, accepted the award.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Contemplating passing seasons and dead flowers, Weir’s deep, lava lamp-like flow of a vocal is as sadly ruminative as Barlow’s lyrics.—
A.D. Amorosi,
Variety,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sonnets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sonnets. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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