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
-
Instead, the words written in her autobiography served as the guide for the two-hour service filled with hymns and scriptures, as Christ Episcopal Church rector Father Jonathan Archer read a passage from the book which was published in 2000 during her memorial on Friday.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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Accompanied by ringing bells, ethereal music and chanting hymns, the priests gracefully moved their arms in unison, holding up various flaming brass lamps during the 45-minute serene and powerful ritual.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
For an artist whose hits have leaned heavily into funk-pop anthems and retro-modern grooves, opening his first solo album in a decade with a bolero is an unexpected statement — but a fearless embrace of his cultural and artistic heritage.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
13 Mar. 2026
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Country Joe McDonald, the Bay Area music legend who crafted one of the definitive protest anthems of the Vietnam War era, died on March 7.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Like a typical Catholic Mass, scriptures, psalms and gospels will be read and the Holy Communion will be given.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Revisit our review of Paul Simon’s last album, Seven Psalms.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spirituals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spirituals. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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