elegiac
adjective
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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.
Synonyms of elegiac
Examples of elegiac in a Sentence
Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
The bulk of McCartney’s setlist consisted of Beatles songs—more than 20 of them—but the show didn’t feel like a nostalgia tour, because the effect was less sentimental and more elegiac.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
But there’s a vital element missing from this elegiac seaside picture.
—Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Mar. 2026
But the Robert Redford prone to elegiac meditations on the human condition is well-evoked here.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elegiac
Cite this Entry
“Elegiac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elegiac. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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