Definition of threnodynext
as in lament
a composition expressing one's grief over a loss the composer's cello concerto was composed as a moving threnody for his late wife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of threnody His diary shrank to a litany of suffering and a threnody for what might have been. Sara Wheeler, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2018 Most critics acknowledged the score’s beautiful moments, especially Cleopatra’s death scene, in which the character’s plaintive lyrical lines are capped by a chilling choral threnody. Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2017 Threnody in X (FTF), Soda Pop (FTF), Corn Hives (FTF), Facts (FTF), Sophie Brown, WIRED, 9 Aug. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threnody
Noun
  • For Mair, the lament is that the very public controversy playing out on that Olympic stage will force changes at the top level of the sport that will trickle down to the grassroots.
    Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Her self-reflections have always landed better than love laments though, and there’s plenty of these on the new one.
    Lina Lecaro, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • In Berceuse Parish, there are so many elegies.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The show, a sort of elegy for Gen X, opens with a flash-forward to July 16, 1999, the final hours of Carolyn and John.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The temperature plunges; Reilly’s trills harden into an Old World dirge.
    Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Swedish singer-composer Anna von Hausswolff, whose cathedral melodies, intense vocals and doom-laden dirges share much in common with Nordic heavy-metal culture, specializes in mystery and grandiosity.
    Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • There, he was honored with salutes and a requiem.
    Chris Lau, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
  • Finally, 110 words into his statement, Trump closed with a proper requiem for the deceased.
    Michael Collins, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Threnody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threnody. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster