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Iliad

American  
[il-ee-uhd] / ˈɪl i əd /

noun

  1. (italics) a Greek epic poem describing the siege of Troy, ascribed to Homer.

  2. (sometimes lowercase) any similar poem; a long narrative.

  3. (often lowercase) a long series of woes, trials, etc.


Iliad British  
/ ˈɪlɪəd /

noun

  1. a Greek epic poem describing the siege of Troy, attributed to Homer and probably composed before 700 bc

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Iliad

< Latin Iliad- (stem of Ilias ) < Greek, equivalent to Ili ( on ) Troy + -ad- -ad 1

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Example Sentences

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"When you dive into the Iliad, you really understand that Homer was an Anatolian. You find anecdotes and cultural references that are completely unknown elsewhere," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Meanwhile NielsenIQ noted many related works -- including "The Iliad", Madeline Miller's "Circe" and Margaret Atwood's "The Penelopiad" -- had also seen "significant" sales uplifts.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Using Leah Mascia's reading of the text, Professor Adiego determined that the fragment comes from the "Catalogue of Ships" in Book II of Homer's Iliad.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

Despite this, the brokerage doesn’t expect a takeover offer for Tele2 from Iliad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

So I exchanged it for walls of marble, which echoed only with the sound of dripping water, of the flushing of my toilet, or of my voice softly reading The Iliad aloud.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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