elegy

American  

[el-i-jee] / ˈɛl ɪ dʒi /

noun

elegies plural

1. a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.

2. a poem written in elegiac meter.

3. a sad or mournful musical composition.

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elegy British  

/ ˈɛlɪdʒɪ /

noun

1. a mournful or plaintive poem or song, esp a lament for the dead

2. poetry or a poem written in elegiac couplets or stanzas

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elegy Cultural  

1. A form of poetry that mourns the loss of someone who has died or something that has deteriorated. A notable example is the “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” by Thomas Gray. (Compare eulogy.)

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Commonly Confused

See eulogy

Etymology

Origin of elegy

First recorded in 1505–15; from Middle French or directly from Latin elegīa, from Greek elegeîa “elegiac poem or inscription,” originally plural of elegeîon “a distich consisting of an hexameter and a penameter,” equivalent to éleg(os) “song, melody,” later “a lament” + -eios adjective suffix

Compare meaning

How does elegy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• elegy vs. eulogy

Explanation

An elegy is a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. Although a speech at a funeral is a eulogy, you might later compose an elegy to someone you have loved and lost to the grave. The purpose of this kind of poem is to express feelings rather than tell a story. Thomas Gray's “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is a poem that reflects on the lives of common people buried in a church cemetery, and on the nature of human mortality. The noun elegy was borrowed in the 16th century from Middle French élégie, from Latin elegīa, from Greek elegeia, from elegos "mournful poem or song."

Example Sentences

Appeared in the March 25, 2026, print edition as 'Andy Beshear’s Hillbilly Education Elegy'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Vance was raised as an evangelical in a chaotic and sometimes deprived upbringing that he described in his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy."

From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025

On Monday, Bidwell Smith launched Elegy, an online hub and newsletter for grief resources that includes book recommendations, articles and a list of therapists donating their services.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025

It was press coverage that allowed Vance to generate a hefty round of publicity after he published Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, paving the way for his rise as a political figure.

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2024

A ramble from the Slough Station, near Eton, would take a visitor to the scenes rendered memorable by Gray’s Elegy.

From Collins' Illustrated Guide to London and Neighbourhood by Anonymous