elegiac

[el-i-jahy-uhk, -ak, ih-lee-jee-ak]

adjective

1. used in, suitable for, or resembling an elegy.

2. expressing sorrow or lamentation.

   elegiac strains.

3. Classical Prosody.,  noting a distich or couplet the first line of which is a dactylic hexameter and the second a pentameter, or a verse differing from the hexameter by suppression of the arsis or metrically unaccented part of the third and the sixth foot.

noun

1. an elegiac or distich verse.

2. a poem in such distichs or verses.

elegiac

/ ˌɛlɪˈdʒaɪək /

adjective

1. resembling, characteristic of, relating to, or appropriate to an elegy

2. lamenting; mournful; plaintive

3. denoting or written in elegiac couplets or elegiac stanzas

noun

1. (often plural) an elegiac couplet or stanza

Other Word Forms

• elegiacally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of elegiac¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle French, from Latin elegīacus, from Greek elegeiakós; equivalent to elegy + -ac

Example Sentences

“It is elegiac, but it isn’t weepy,” John said of the film when he first scored it, never imagining the sudden tragic fate of his young friend.

From Los Angeles Times

An elegiac hymn to the dead end of hometown life, the song captures Currie’s ability to wrap melancholy lyrics in a catchy melody.

From Los Angeles Times

The tone of nonfiction conjectures about the future of Los Angeles generally fall into two categories, elegiac or apocalyptic — and sometimes both: “utopia or dystopia,” in the words of Davis.

From Los Angeles Times

The pacing can be pokey — elegiac if you prefer — between the big action scenes, which can be disturbingly violent.

From Los Angeles Times

But if you view it as the last stage of Ripley’s career trajectory on the payroll of a company that devalues human life, the movie translates as elegiac.

From Salon

Related Words

• funereal 
• melancholy 
• mournful 
• sad 
• sorrowful