litany

noun

lit·​a·​ny ˈli-tə-nē 

ˈlit-nē

plural litanies

1

: a prayer consisting of a series of invocations and supplications by the leader with alternate responses by the congregation

the Litany of the Saints

2

a

: a resonant or repetitive chant

a litany of cheering phrases

—Herman Wouk

b

: a usually lengthy recitation or enumeration

a familiar litany of complaints

c

: a sizable series or set

a litany of problems

The drug has a litany of possible side effects.

Did you know?

A Short History of Litany

How do we love the word litany? Let us count the ways. We love its original 13th century meaning, still in use today, referring to a call-and-response prayer in which a series of lines are spoken alternately by a leader and a congregation. We love how litany has developed in the intervening centuries three figurative senses, and we love each of these as well: first, a sense meaning “repetitive chant”; next, the “lengthy recitation” sense owing to the repetitious—and sometimes interminable—nature of the original litany; and finally, an even broader sense referring to any sizeable series or set. Though litanies of this third sort tend to be unpleasant, we choose today to think of the loveliness found in the idea of “a litany of sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.”

Examples of litany in a Sentence

He has a litany of grievances against his former employer.

The team blamed its losses on a litany of injuries.

Recent Examples on the Web

The bill cleared the chamber after several years of controversy at the commission, including the ousting of and subsequent legal battle to reinstate former Chair Shannon O’Brien, a litany of internal conflicts, and a scathing report from the Office of the Inspector General. —Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 6 July 2025

This was Cassie Ventura Fine on the witness stand back in mid-May, early in the government's case against her one-time lover Sean Combs, recalling a litany of abusive love-less horrors. —Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 3 July 2025

And Combs still faces a litany of civil suits that will continue to follow him for the foreseeable future. —Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2025

The two were among a litany of A-listers who showed up to support creative director Simon Porte, including Camila Alves McConaughey and Matthew McConaughey, Bb Trickz, Stormzy and Aya Nakamura. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English letanie, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin litania, from Late Greek litaneia, from Greek, entreaty, from litanos supplicant

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

litany

noun

lit·​a·​ny ˈlit-ᵊn-ē 

ˈlit-nē

plural litanies

: a prayer consisting of a series of lines spoken alternately by a leader and the congregation