as in halfpenny
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Recent Examples of kenning
Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Noun
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kenning
Noun
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Indeed, in 2023, his music earned him just shy of $200,000, about one halfpenny at a time.—
Brett Martin,
New York Times,
31 Mar. 2024
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In nineteenth-century England, tailors would place old halfpennies in the pockets of a man’s new suit for good luck.—
Hua Hsu,
The New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2023
Verb
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However, Chiefs veteran center Creed Humphrey says his team won't be listening to those, or even fathoming the thought of panicking.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Nov. 2025
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Advertisement Svetlana’s optimistic pretend normalcy and Lyudmila’s practical approach to medication point to impossibility of fathoming the many crushing consequences of the Ukraine crisis.—
Nina Khrushcheva,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Behind every trauma and calamity, whether personal or global, whispers of Jewish machination can be heard by those already listening for them.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In this extraordinary moment, we're reminded that wisdom often comes in the smallest whispers, and true courage lies in following where we're led with childlike trust.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The newly-sighted get better at perceiving differences in color, shape, and size — even if they were treated for their congenital cataracts after years of blindness—but not so much at spotting differences in shading or contours.—
Sachin Rawat,
Big Think,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Reading, a way of perceiving ideas through the eyes of others, increases empathy and community, noted one professor.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sunbeams through the windows illuminate floating dust motes—and, imperceptibly, microdroplets of mucus carrying the measles virus, expelled from an infected but asymptomatic child who is hopping and laughing among the others.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Easily swept up by wind and carried long distances by water, these tiny motes are also exceedingly difficult to detect and almost impossible to remove from the environment.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Fewer qubits, faster future The researchers tackled this problem using neutral atom systems, where atoms act as qubits and are arranged using laser beams known as optical tweezers.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
-
To look at the leftover glow from the Big Bang, at the spectrum of temperature fluctuations (and also at the polarization) imprinted when neutral atoms first formed and the Universe became transparent to radiation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fort Worth police officer Bobbie Sanchez, who was elbowed in the jaw while apprehending a suspect, told the Star-Telegram there was not a single oral surgeon in the city’s network who could treat her injuries, which delayed her recovery.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
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That process has effectively scared many people away from filling out paperwork to recertify with Medi-Cal due to fears of being outed by the federal government, which is cracking down on undocumented immigrants by apprehending and deporting them.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Moreover, Trump cares not a whit about bringing drug traffickers to justice.—
Peter Kornbluh,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Miss Keaton…is not a whit like the flustered ingénue she was cast to play.—
Chris Morris,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kenning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kenning. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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