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
Ever wanted to dive into Shakespeare's sonnets or explore cinema analysis?
—
Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 11 Jan. 2026
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
Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 11 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sonnets
Noun
-
Carl Phillips on writing the poems that changed the course of his life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The most exciting, most fun thing is writing poems.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The video is just as angry as the song’s lyrics and delivery, cutting disturbing (but not graphic) footage from ICE’s clashes with demonstrators in the city with Springsteen performing the song in his home studio.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
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The song also has writing and production credits from Mark Sonnenblick and Ian Eisendrath, known for their work on musicals for stage and screen, and its key features — the story-forward lyrics sung mostly in English and the ascendant, spotlit hook — are built toward those ends.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sonnets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sonnets. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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