as in hymns
a religious song
the monks offered up a canticle at dawn on Easter morning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canticles
Gustave Doré, the celebrated French illustrator, did elaborate engravings for the three canticles in the mid-19th century and devoted 99 out of 135 of them to Dante Alighieri’s darkest scenes.
—
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canticles
Noun
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The first is rewriting public-domain hymns with community members to sing at protests.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
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Instead, the words written in her autobiography served as the guide for the two-hour service filled with hymns and scriptures, as Christ Episcopal Church rector Father Jonathan Archer read a passage from the book which was published in 2000 during her memorial on Friday.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For an artist whose hits have leaned heavily into funk-pop anthems and retro-modern grooves, opening his first solo album in a decade with a bolero is an unexpected statement — but a fearless embrace of his cultural and artistic heritage.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
13 Mar. 2026
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Country Joe McDonald, the Bay Area music legend who crafted one of the definitive protest anthems of the Vietnam War era, died on March 7.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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By weaving together songs, sounds, words, and visuals, Psalms gives audiences a real feel for the broader culture.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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Like a typical Catholic Mass, scriptures, psalms and gospels will be read and the Holy Communion will be given.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Point spreads and moneylines ran constantly through my head, mingling with the omnipresent Christmas carols to create a strange backbeat to the holiday season.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
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Each year, Music Hall fills with twinkling lights, the sound of nostalgic carols and the joy of thousands of audience members at Holiday Pops.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canticles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canticles. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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