canticle

noun

ˈkan-ti-kəl How to pronounce canticle (audio)
Definition of canticlenext
as in hymn
a religious song the monks offered up a canticle at dawn on Easter morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canticle Gustave Doré, the celebrated French illustrator, did elaborate engravings for the three canticles in the mid-19th century and devoted 99 out of 135 of them to Dante Alighieri’s darkest scenes. — Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026 The leaders of this communal canticle were the women of Boygenius — Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. — Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2023 The first was Bach’s glorious 12-part canticle, premiered in 1723 as the conclusion of the Christmas Vespers in Leipzig as a sort of meet-your-new-cantor demonstration of his powers. — Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021 For many students of Dante, Purgatory is the Divine Comedy’s central canticle poetically, philosophically, and psychologically. — Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canticle
  1. hymn
  2. anthem
  3. psalm
Noun
  • The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Avie Lee filled the family's two-room home with music by singing hymns, folk songs and traditional mountain music.
    — Devarrick Turner, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of hymn
Noun
  • Dolly Parton, the brilliant songwriter and beloved country singer who has died at age 80, wrote one of the great anthems of the American working class.
    — John Nichols, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The song has endured beyond its controversy as something of an empowerment anthem.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of anthem
Noun
  • Psalm 23 is numbered Psalm 22 in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate because of differences in how the psalms are divided and numbered.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But presiding over his daughter’s outdoor wedding helped, fulfilling another psalm’s promise.
    — Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of psalm

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canters
canticle
canticles
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Cite this Entry

“Canticle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canticle. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on canticle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about canticle

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