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 example, 53% of respondents say that mess and clutter are always in full sight, and 33% lament that noise travels easily in an open kitchen.
    Terri Williams, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
  • His suggestion drew scores of hosannahs from followers on X, who shared his lament that the magazine had become too critical of the industry and its leaders.
    Jonathan Weber, Fortune, 19 May 2026
Noun
  • Tom Sturridge, Rebecca Hall, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and newcomer Luther Ford co-star in this elegy defiantly tethered to life.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
  • To say an elegy by heart/to zero our dying before birth.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This offers respite from the music ever feeling too dirge-like.
    Brendan Hay, SPIN, 1 May 2026
  • The pioneering alt-country band returns with its first album in 30 years—a set of cryptic, languid dirges that feels defiantly out-of-time.
    Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The reason for the requiem Pulse was an Orlando gay bar where, on June 12, 2016, gunman Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded another 58.
    Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2026
  • The biggest difference is probably how Laurie plays the final requiem.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 4 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Threnody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threnody. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.

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