clarion
Americanadjective
noun
-
an ancient trumpet with a curved shape.
-
the sound of this instrument.
-
any similar sound.
noun
-
a four-foot reed stop of trumpet quality on an organ
-
an obsolete, high-pitched, small-bore trumpet
-
the sound of such an instrument or any similar sound
adjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of clarion
1275–1325; Middle English < Medieval Latin clāriōn- (stem of clāriō ) trumpet, equivalent to clār- clear + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
If you hear the clarion call of the stage, it means you want to be an actor. Clarion means loud and clear, and a clarion call is a call to something that is hard to ignore. A clarion is a medieval horn with a clear sound. Hard to ignore, but also pure and clear in tone. There's nothing shrill about a "clarion call." Martin Luther King Jr.'s clarion call for all races in the U.S. to live together in peace and harmony has lived on after his death.
Vocabulary lists containing clarion
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Now I See! Synonyms for "Clear"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The former is supremely catchy, with a clarion guest vocal from singer Brent Faiyaz, and the latter, hazy and psychedelic, has a soul-inflected hook courtesy of singer Thundercat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
His expansive vision of the ’80s rings out like a clarion call for a new era of rigorous artistic engagement with the unknowable and the unseen.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025
Lord Watson, former deputy leader of the Labour Party and clearly a fan of Sir Elton, reeled off a string of song lyrics urging ministers to heed "the clarion cry of this country's creators".
From BBC • May 19, 2025
Thurman’s story needs to be a clarion call to physicians to act on behalf of our patients, no matter where they live.
From Slate • Sep. 18, 2024
Hear, from each throat the clarion and carillion.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
