dithyramb
Americannoun
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a Greek choral song or chant of vehement or wild character and of usually irregular form, originally in honor of Dionysus or Bacchus.
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any poem or other composition having similar characteristics, as an impassioned or exalted theme or irregular form.
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any wildly enthusiastic speech or writing.
noun
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(in ancient Greece) a passionate choral hymn in honour of Dionysus; the forerunner of Greek drama
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any utterance or a piece of writing that resembles this
Etymology
Origin of dithyramb
1595–1605; < Latin dīthyrambus < Greek dīthýrambos
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 ensemble’s rich resonance, combined with the variety of pitches and shifting dynamics, evokes a kaleidoscopic dithyramb of rare power.
From Washington Post • Apr. 14, 2016
His is a poet’s prose, given to dithyramb, and it can’t be hurried along.
From Washington Post
Almost as good is his dithyramb on Russia at war.
From Time Magazine Archive
The song is usually an apostrophe to hamburger or a dithyramb dedicated to cola, uncola or the beverage the citizens are forbidden to quaff on-camera: beer.
From Time Magazine Archive
With what irony the same pen passed from dithyramb to satire!
From Marie Antoinette and the Downfall of Royalty by Imbert de Saint-Amand, Arthur Léon, baron
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.
