litany

American  

[lit-n-ee] / ˈlɪt n i /

noun

• litanies
  plural

1. a ceremonial or liturgical form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations or supplications with responses that are the same for a number in succession.

2. the Litany, the supplication in this form in the Book of Common Prayer.

3. a recitation or recital that resembles a litany.

4. a prolonged or tedious account.

   We heard the whole litany of their complaints.

   Synonyms:

   enumeration, catalog, list

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litany British  

/ ˈlɪtənɪ /

noun

1. Christianity

   1. a form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations, each followed by an unvarying response

   2. the general supplication in this form included in the Book of Common Prayer

2. any long or tedious speech or recital

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litany Cultural  

1. In many religions, a ritual repetition of prayers. Usually a clergyman or singer chants a prayer, and the congregation makes a response, such as “Lord, have mercy.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• litanies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of litany

before 900; < Late Latin litanīa < Late Greek litaneía litany, Greek: an entreating, equivalent to litan- (stem of litaínein, variant of litaneúein to pray) + -eia -y ³; replacing Middle English letanie, Old English letanīa < Medieval Latin, Late Latin, as above

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Explanation

A litany is a long, repetitive list or series of grievances, like your picky brother's litany of complaints about dinner or the litany of critical comments your English teacher writes in the margins of your essay. The original meaning of litany is a purely religious one. During some Christian services, a member of the clergy recites a litany, a lengthy call-and-response type of prayer. The word's Greek root means "entreaty," and in this religious context, that's an entreaty to God. Its more popular, secular meaning tends to be used in a negative way, as in your grandpa's litany of aches and pains or the litany of complaints from passengers on a stalled subway car.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

litany litanies

There’s a litany of reasons why a track may be unavailable to stream, said Susan Dodes, a record-industry executive and a professor at New York University’s Steinhardt music business program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

While Mexico and other Latin American countries traditionally celebrate on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, a litany of Día de los Muertos festivities fill up the Southern California calendar beginning in early October.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

O'Lali, 28, of Breton Court in Lisburn, was sentenced to two years and seven months in relation to what the judge described in court as a "shameful litany of events".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The spectators who stuck around, including Josh Levin, were “treated to a litany of scenes you don’t typically see at a Grand Slam tennis match.”

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

I spat a litany of things I’ll never repeat for the rest of my life, and he cowered and stared down into the dirt.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

LeBlanc never moves her camera away from the ground level; there are no policy prescriptions, no litanies of statistics and no melodramatic statements about pity or persistence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025

The advanced age of many gangsters often becomes a factor at sentencing hearings, when bids for leniency tend to rely heavily on litanies of medications, impairments, illnesses and other ravages of time.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 10, 2023

Because these kinds of litanies are not rare, I get why actor, writer, and producer Issa Rae, the woman behind "Insecure" and "Rap Sh!t," is over it.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2023

Some litanies were designed to be prayed while processing, or walking around, said Bishop Jeffrey Lee, the interim bishop of Milwaukee and a member of the group.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2021

He clucked approvingly at pictures of cute grandkids, patiently endured gossip and long litanies of health woes, and nodded knowingly at stories about how money was tight.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• catalogue
• recitation
• repetition

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