Definition of poetrynext
1
as in song
writing that uses rhythm, vivid language, and often rhyme to provoke an emotional response not all poetry has to rhyme

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2
as in rhetoric
the art or power of speaking or writing in a forceful and convincing way the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King were filled with the kind of poetry that touches people of all races

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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 poetry The council sponsors several events throughout the year, but its most popular is the Last Fridays & Art Walk, a town-wide celebration that includes live music, dance, poetry, gallery exhibits, and makers markets on the last Friday of each month from March through October. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026 This enjoyable, varied story collection’s author has written four memoirs and six poetry collections. Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2026 His first collection, Death of a Naturalist, was published by Faber and Faber in 1966 and was followed by eleven other volumes of poetry, as well as collections of literary criticism, anthologies, translations, and verse plays. Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 Her success is to see love and poetry all the time, despite her circumstances. John Hopewell, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for poetry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poetry
Noun
  • Josh is a skeptic who gets itchy whenever actors burst into song; Melissa is a believer who longs for a romance so transcendent that it can be expressed only in an airy glissando, opted up an octave.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The album, which is comprised almost wholly of covers spanning yacht rock mainstays, also includes one original Urban song to round the package out.
    Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Hyper-aggressive rhetoric on social media, political extremism, and the normalization of violence are certainly contributing factors.
    Andrew Cuomo, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
  • Perhaps, as more and more people on the right echo white-supremacist rhetoric, some lawmakers might actually just start saying the thing out loud, and the courts will have to act.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
Noun
  • During his audition, all four judges turned their chairs for the contestant, with Gwen Stefani hitting her red button during the song’s first verse.
    Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • In rhyming verse, the WNBA star shares a message about the importance of effort and support.
    ABC News, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The rocks closest to the spray were white with rime, and a faint rainbow hung in the air, a diaphanous net catching color.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
  • The actress and her longtime stylist Law Roach have been thoughtfully playing out the wedding rhyme during the premieres of the film, in which Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play an engaged couple.
    Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Kosann and Mirojnick designed three core styles for the collection: a poesy ring, a charm and a locket.
    EJ Panaligan, Variety, 15 Nov. 2022
  • What makes the collection particularly unique is Kosann’s approach to reinventing classics—like the lockets, charms, and poesy rings that she’s reinterpreted in the past—but also Evert’s unique experience of being so connected to the tennis bracelet.
    Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2022

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Cite this Entry

“Poetry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poetry. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

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