dirge

as in lament
a composition expressing one's grief over a loss bagpipes played a haunting dirge at the funeral for the fallen leader

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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 dirge Following long minutes of silence, a dirge of bagpipes began streaming from the church, suddenly growing loud as 10 pipers emerged with a corps of drummers behind, playing on as pallbearers rolled the casket out. Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 28 June 2024 The result is closer in style and rhythm to the doomy slow-cinema dirges of Gus Van Sant, like Elephant or Gerry. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 31 May 2024 Women in black mourning weeds gathered and hummed dirges. Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024 What follows is a haunting collection of dirges and hymns that fuses the high points of his career: the symphonic pomp of 2005's Illinois, the electronic maximalism of 2010's The Age of Adz, and the spartan folk of 2015's Carrie & Lowell, a work inspired by the death of his mother. Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023 See All Example Sentences for dirge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirge
Noun
  • Silverman joined the parade with a lament about the changing times.
    Paul Harris, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025
  • But where Knight of Cups often drifts along in a generalized fog of melancholy, Blanchett actually makes the film’s lament for shattered relationships and thwarted potential actually hurt.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In fact, the opening moments play out like an elegy for the whole nation: a school boarded up, with empty corridors and empty classrooms.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
  • As photographed by Austin Shelton, the widescreen images — and even the vertical TikTok videos braided alongside — convey a hopeful vision of their future, more fresh start than elegy.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Whether a requiem is due for rom-coms or not, in the meantime there's at least a conveyor belt of cringe to feast upon.
    Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The funeral procession begins with a sorrowful requiem but transitions into a celebration of life — reminding us that life extends beyond death, that grief is not the absence of love but an extension of it.
    Mathew Holloway, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025

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“Dirge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirge. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

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