as in hymns
a religious song
sang a spiritual at the funeral
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spirituals
The event features a community sing-along of American spirituals, folk songs and bluegrass favorites, hosted by conductor and composer John Yankee with musicians from the San Diego Bluegrass Society, Mission Bay High School and PB Community Choir.
—
Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Quijada and Robinson developed the show through work on a concept album presented in 2021, and their music, ranging from hip-hop to Cuban bolero to spirituals, carries the piece along with their own charisma as performers.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025
The work, which King has described as a meditation on love, resilience and inner-strength, is set to Black spirituals and Jewish liturgical music, features vocals by the great singer Lisa Fischer and a score by piano great Jason Moran, artists with whom the collab-happy King has worked before.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Quijada and Robinson developed the show through work on a concept album presented in 2021, and their music, ranging from hip-hop to Cuban bolero to spirituals, carries the piece along with their own charisma as performers.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025
The work, which King has described as a meditation on love, resilience and inner-strength, is set to Black spirituals and Jewish liturgical music, features vocals by the great singer Lisa Fischer and a score by piano great Jason Moran, artists with whom the collab-happy King has worked before.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spirituals
Noun
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History and messages were shared through field hymns and songs.—
Taylor Cassidy,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
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Attendees bowed their head in prayer and sang along to hymns, while posters of Kirk lined the seats.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The crowd — a mix of young people, couples, LGBTQ+ followers and fans from diverse ethnicities — seemingly knew every lyric as Uchis’ velvety voice floated effortlessly through her bilingual anthems.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
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The film also has moments from the Crazy Horse, where Aguilera performs her anthems in a cabaret sequence.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Revered by all three Abrahamic religions, the psalms were often recited, read, and sung in routine worship.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
23 Sep. 2025
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Kretzmer-Seed felt strongly about the inclusion of psalms from the Hallel service as well as a Spanish-Portuguese prayer for those in captivity, which was originally written for victims of the Spanish Inquisition.—
Marla Brown Fogelman,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spirituals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spirituals. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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