as in hymn
a religious song
the monks offered up a canticle at dawn on Easter morning
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Recent Examples of canticle
Gustave Doré, the celebrated French illustrator, did elaborate engravings for the three canticles in the mid-19th century and devoted 99 out of 135 of them to Dante Alighieri’s darkest scenes.
—
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
That’s the opening line of Slipknot’s rage-rot canticle.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2025
The leaders of this communal canticle were the women of Boygenius — Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2023
The first was Bach’s glorious 12-part canticle, premiered in 1723 as the conclusion of the Christmas Vespers in Leipzig as a sort of meet-your-new-cantor demonstration of his powers.
—Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021
For many students of Dante, Purgatory is the Divine Comedy’s central canticle poetically, philosophically, and psychologically.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
That’s the opening line of Slipknot’s rage-rot canticle.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2025
The leaders of this communal canticle were the women of Boygenius — Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2023
The first was Bach’s glorious 12-part canticle, premiered in 1723 as the conclusion of the Christmas Vespers in Leipzig as a sort of meet-your-new-cantor demonstration of his powers.
—Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021
For many students of Dante, Purgatory is the Divine Comedy’s central canticle poetically, philosophically, and psychologically.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canticle
Noun
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The arena filled with the sound of hymns, and the Mass featured Bible readings, Holy Communion and a homily.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
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In a manner that feels prototypical of the plant’s subsequent valorization across other cultures, the cucumber makes an appearance in the Rigveda, an ancient collection of Sanskrit hymns belonging to the canonical Hindu tradition.—
Andrés Muedano,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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After all, audiences may be captivated by the psalm singing itself, but then can also find more things that capture their imagination in the observational doc.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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Gallagher is also excited about Psalms of the People (Salim Nan Daoine), Jack Archer’s Gaelic-language documentary about Scotland’s cultural heritage of traditional Gaelic psalm singing.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canticle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canticle. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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