leitmotif

American  

[lahyt-moh-teef] / ˈlaɪt moʊˌtif /

Or leitmotiv

noun

1. a motif or theme associated throughout a music drama with a particular person, situation, or idea.

2. a unifying or dominant motif; a recurrent theme.

   A leitmotif in science fiction is the evolving relationship between humans and machines.

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leitmotif British  

/ ˈlaɪtməʊˌtiːf /

noun

1. music a recurring short melodic phrase or theme used, esp in Wagnerian music dramas, to suggest a character, thing, etc

2. an often repeated word, phrase, image, or theme in a literary work

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leitmotif Cultural  

1. A frequently recurring bit of melody, usually in opera, associated with a person, thing, or emotion; Leitmotiv is German for “leading theme.” The leitmotif may be heard in the instrumental or the vocal part.

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Discover More

Recurring themes or subjects in other forms of art or literature are sometimes also called leitmotifs.

Leitmotifs are particularly associated with the operas of Richard Wagner.

Etymology

Origin of leitmotif

First recorded in 1875–80; from German: “leading motive”

Explanation

If you notice the subject of freedom coming up again and again in a book you're reading for English class, you can impress your teacher by calling it a leitmotif, or a theme that recurs. The noun leitmotif is most useful for talking about music, and it usually comes up in the context of classical music, whenever a particular phrase or tune is repeated. The word comes from the German Leitmotiv, which literally means "lead motif," or "guiding motif." Though leitmotif makes music experts think of Wagner's operas when they hear it, it's been around at least since Mozart's time.

Example Sentences

Scorsese’s faith, and his battles with it, provide something of a leitmotif of the series — is he a saint or a sinner?

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

The book is crowded with characters, but “Sunshine Charlie” Mitchell, the head of National City Bank of New York, provides a sort of leitmotif.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Its leitmotif is push and pull: unsettling, bruising, often brutal, yet ultimately life-affirming.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025

But the truest leitmotif of my adventure was cheese.

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2023

The goal of a leitmotif is to help the listener identify the main characters and give each a very short musical pattern, so that every time their name is mentioned, someone plays that pattern.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• argument
• line
• matter
• motif
• point
• problem
• question
• stuff
• subject
• text
• thought
• topic