epigram

[ ep-i-gram ]

See synonyms for epigram on Thesaurus.com

noun

any witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed.
epigrammatic expression: Oscar Wilde had a genius for epigram.

a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.

Origin of epigram

1400–50; late Middle English <Latin epigramma<Greek epígramma inscription, epigram. See epi-, -gram¹

Other words for epigram

1	witticism, quip, bon mot

See synonyms for epigram on Thesaurus.com

Words that may be confused with epigram

epigram , epigraph, epitaph, epithet

Words Nearby epigram

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use epigram in a sentence

It was only when I left home that I realized how unusual it was to have a mother and grandmother who tossed off perfect pies the way some people drop witty epigrams — and how borderline miraculous their pie crusts were.
America forgot how to make proper pie. Can we remember before it’s too late? | Megan McArdle | July 1, 2021 | Washington Post
Morton emailed me the following epigram from the poet Humbert Wolfe.
The Unauthorized Biographer's Challenge | Isabel Vincent | November 4, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
"And she would sacrifice Him and all his archangels to an epigram," thought Isabel, who was somewhat shocked.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
"I wonder if she has ever tried to condense rudeness into an epigram," said Isabel viciously, pausing in her narrative.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
Page after page—full of caustic satire, humorous sally and profound epigram—fairly bristles with merriment.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke

One should delight in truth; I do delight in epigram; there seems little chance for choice here.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete | Gilbert Parker
Then he smiled grimly, thinking of Voltaire's cruel epigram—that "letters addressed to posterity seldom reach their destination!"
Love's Pilgrimage | Upton Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for epigram

epigram

/ (ˈɛpɪˌɡræm) /

noun

a witty, often paradoxical remark, concisely expressed
a short, pungent, and often satirical poem, esp one having a witty and ingenious ending

Origin of epigram

C15: from Latin epigramma, from Greek: inscription, from epigraphein to write upon, from graphein to write

Derived forms of epigram

epigrammatic, adjective
epigrammatically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for epigram

epigram

Any pithy, witty saying or short poem. An aphorism can serve as an epigram, if it is brief.

Notes for epigram

Several authors are noted for their epigrams, including Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde. One of Wilde's epigrams is “I can resist everything except temptation.”

Notes for epigram

Two other words are similar: an epigraph is usually an inscription, as on a statue; an epitaph can be such an inscription or it can be a brief literary note commemorating a dead person.

Browse