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
The character is speaking sonnets and doing ‘Ozymandias’ as well.
—
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sonnets
Noun
-
All types of lanterns are lighted throughout the streets, and poems and riddles are often written for entertainment.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
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Plath, the deserted wife of fellow poet Ted Hughes, mother of two young children, died by suicide at age 30, leaving behind a collection of poems that anatomized her mental descent in scorching language that secured a permanent place in American letters.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The track grapples with his struggle to process a drive-by shooting that nearly took his life and offered a glimpse at his artistry to come, characterized by his raw, unflinching lyrics.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
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As is the case in many corporate ad campaigns, Lutsko was one of multiple songwriters to receive prewritten lyrics with a prompt to put them to music.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sonnets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sonnets. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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