elegiac

adjective

ele·gi·ac ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ək

-ˌak,

also i-ˈlē-jē-ˌak

variants or less commonly elegiacal

ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ə-kəl

Synonyms of elegiac next

: of, relating to, or consisting of two dactylic hexameter lines the second of which lacks the arsis in the third and sixth feet

b(1)

: written in or consisting of elegiac couplets

(2)

: noted for having written poetry in such couplets

: of or relating to the period in Greece about the seventh century b.c. when poetry written in such couplets flourished

: of, relating to, or comprising elegy or an elegy

especially : expressing sorrow often for something now past

an elegiac lament for departed youth

elegiac noun

elegiacally

ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ə-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Did you know?

Elegiac was borrowed into English in the 16th century from Late Latin elagiacus, which in turn derives from Greek elegeiakos. Elegeiakos traces back to the Greek word for "elegiac couplet," which was elegeion. It is no surprise, then, that the earliest meaning of elegiac referred to such poetic couplets. These days, of course, the word is also used to describe anything sorrowful or nostalgic. As you may have guessed, another descendant of elegeion in English is elegy, which in its oldest sense refers to a poem in elegiac couplets, and now can equally refer to a somewhat broader range of laments for something or someone that is now lost.

Examples of elegiac in a Sentence

the sight of an old ruined church or castle can be a pleasantly elegiac experience

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Part memoir, part reportage, Thompson’s book is not only an elegiac tribute to a child whose life was cut short too soon, but also a searing indictment of the system that enabled the lynching and the subsequent cover-up. —

Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024 Scorsese films are rarely elegiac, but Sheeran serves as not just an entry point into the mob but also a way to understand that there are no heroes — or anti-heroes — among this den of thieves. —

Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2024 Martyr!, the debut novel from poet Kaveh Akbar, is word-drunk and elegiac, an enormous pleasure to read. —

Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Kudos once again to producing artistic director Danny Feldman for reminding us what a live orchestra sounds like in a regional theater and to music director Darryl Archibald for drawing out the score’s elegiac shadows and romantic uplift. —

Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for elegiac