variants
also elegiacal
as in depressing
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the sight of an old ruined church or castle can be a pleasantly elegiac experience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elegiac
Barry Levitt, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2024
Many awards forecasters had the elegiac anthem pegged as a frontrunner for the Best Original Song award.
—EW.com, 18 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Adjective
But as Tanaka’s melodramatic and elegiac film shows us, beauty often comes from the most unexpected places.
—Barry Levitt, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2024
Many awards forecasters had the elegiac anthem pegged as a frontrunner for the Best Original Song award.
—EW.com, 18 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elegiac
Adjective
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Still, overall traffic expectations in Meridian are basically pretty depressing.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Mar. 2025
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Depending on your point of view, either the depressing vibes outweigh the gorgeous animation or the gorgeous animation outweighs the depressing vibes.—
Jeremy Fassler,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Researchers were surprised that the decrease in depressive symptoms was on par or even more significant than the reductions documented in studies of people taking antidepressant medications.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
25 Feb. 2025
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Tragically, they are killed by their mother, who drowns them in a manic depressive episode while their father is away on business.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Adjective
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In medicine—by this morbid measure, at least—women and men are on an even playing field.—
Christopher M. Worsham,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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March brings his Everyman charisma to the part of Dr. Jekyll, a scientist with a morbid fascination with the goodness and evil of humanity.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This eatery at the summit of Cannon’s tramway offers cafeteria food, grab-and-go options, and, most notably, the highest-elevation beer taps in the state of New Hampshire.—
Sarah Cahalan,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Dec. 2024
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This lack of resolution taps into the brain’s natural drive for cognitive closure, which according to 2014 study, is the innate desire to resolve ambiguity and make sense of unfinished experiences.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Never mind that, by an accident of political timing, so many theater creatives as well as so much of the audience is feeling funereal.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2025
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The song, originally light and airy, now sounds almost funereal, as Faithfull’s voice comes close to cracking.—
Robert Levine,
Billboard,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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On the final night, one of the regulars hired a Scotsman in a kilt to play a bagpipe dirge.—
Zach Helfand,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
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Ethel Cain: Perverts [Daughters of Cain] Ethel Cain found unlikely pop fandom with Preacher’s Daughter, her 2022 debut album, thanks to its emotional dirges and heavy lyrics.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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People are going to be very chill and normal, like the internet always is.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
refinery29.com,
10 Mar. 2025
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Canada’s been chill with legal weed since 2018, and Germany is heading there too.—
Matt Rozo,
The Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elegiac. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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