dirge

as in lament
a composition expressing one's grief over a loss bagpipes played a haunting dirge at the funeral for the fallen leader

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dirge 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 The most powerful moments of this dirge-like film immediately follow the execution. Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025 When the relatives begin to arrive, crawling in on their knees, droning a dirge about death, Shula promptly departs for a hotel, pink suitcase in tow. Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for dirge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirge
Noun
  • His greatest fear is losing his Michelin star – a cause for lament, mental health crises and, sometimes, murder.
    Tulasi Srinivas, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
  • That is both the cautionary tale and the lament of Behind the Badge, Answering the Call to Serve on America’s Homefront by Johnny Joey Jones.
    Chris Dorsey, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Bulgakov’s novel The White Guard, published in 1925 and set at the same time, is an elegy for Tsarist Kyiv that detests both Ukrainian national aspirations and Bolshevik rule.
    Uilleam Blacker, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
  • And then on March 29, Swift published an elegy for Partridge.
    Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The album thematically focuses on the idea of the afterlife in both a literal and figurative sense, with a touch of Carlile's anecdotal songwriting and requiems for artists' past.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Whether a requiem is due for rom-coms or not, in the meantime there's at least a conveyor belt of cringe to feast upon.
    Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dirge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirge. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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