as in hymns
a religious song
sang a spiritual at the funeral
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Recent Examples of spirituals
At Merkin Hall, Chanticleer rings in the semiquincentennial with a new work by Trevor Weston, which spotlights the legacy of African American spirituals.
—
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026
As iconic church songs that have crossed over into secular spirituals, they were written to be memorable and singable, crowd-tested for at least a couple of generations.
—David W. Stowe, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
For their next concert, the VocalEssence choirs will recall the civil rights movement through anthems, spirituals and more.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
America’s long struggle against racial segregation was accompanied by a righteous soundtrack of spirituals and gospel and soul music, anthems that channeled sanctified fervor into the fight for equality.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
From slave spirituals to civil rights-era protest songs to the YG and Kendrick Lamar songs that soundtracked the last decade of Black Lives Matter protests, musicians across genres tend to react to our country’s horrors with music.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
Place your order before the start of the concert, dine in, then cap it off with dessert and a performance — in this case, a smorgasbord of Irish fiddle tunes, spirituals and even some early jazz.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Davenport carries forward Hogan’s mission to uplift spirituals by continuing to teach his own interpretations of many of the late composer’s arrangements to the choir.
—Tevon Blair, Essence, 30 Dec. 2025
Fastvold shows us religious tableaus coming to life set to Daniel Blumberg’s arrangements of Shaker spirituals.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026
As iconic church songs that have crossed over into secular spirituals, they were written to be memorable and singable, crowd-tested for at least a couple of generations.
—David W. Stowe, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
For their next concert, the VocalEssence choirs will recall the civil rights movement through anthems, spirituals and more.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
America’s long struggle against racial segregation was accompanied by a righteous soundtrack of spirituals and gospel and soul music, anthems that channeled sanctified fervor into the fight for equality.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
From slave spirituals to civil rights-era protest songs to the YG and Kendrick Lamar songs that soundtracked the last decade of Black Lives Matter protests, musicians across genres tend to react to our country’s horrors with music.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
Place your order before the start of the concert, dine in, then cap it off with dessert and a performance — in this case, a smorgasbord of Irish fiddle tunes, spirituals and even some early jazz.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Davenport carries forward Hogan’s mission to uplift spirituals by continuing to teach his own interpretations of many of the late composer’s arrangements to the choir.
—Tevon Blair, Essence, 30 Dec. 2025
Fastvold shows us religious tableaus coming to life set to Daniel Blumberg’s arrangements of Shaker spirituals.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spirituals
Noun
-
The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Outside, the protesters sang hymns and chanted prayers and held signs and images of the Virgin Mary.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Like all other private and public enterprises in Germany, these guilds now began their meetings with anthems and Hitler salutes.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Apr. 2026
-
David Bowie — whose transcendent anthems ring out at key moments in this production — might call them the people on the edge of the night.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
By weaving together songs, sounds, words, and visuals, Psalms gives audiences a real feel for the broader culture.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spirituals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spirituals. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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