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light verse

American  

noun

  1. verse that is written to entertain, amuse, or please, often by the subtlety of its form rather than by its literary quality.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Lovely flourishes remind us of Updike’s talent for light verse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

Osgood was a broadcaster who could write essays and light verse as well as report hard news, and he worked radio and television with equal facility.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2024

For his “Cats,” Lloyd Webber mostly set Eliot’s light verse to music.

From New York Times ● Dec. 18, 2019

At first glance, this might look like light verse, but it's deep and rich, a kind of zen koan that is also a meditation on aging and, to me at least, longevity in marriage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2018

Dear Gifted,—If you will permit me to use your Christian, and prophetic, name—we improved the occasion lately with the writers of light verse in ancient times. 

From Letters on Literature by Andrew Lang

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