elegiac.

expressing sorrowful reflection, especially about loss or the past, or relating to an elegy

Use it for

Words that belong together

• elegiac tone
• elegiac poem
• elegiac passage

On the page

The final chapter takes on an elegiac tone.

Her elegiac account preserved the village that the reservoir erased.

An elegiac passage interrupts the otherwise brisk adventure.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Gothic. More reflective and commemorative than merely gloomy. Can describe writing, music, or a tone; not necessarily a literal funeral. Comparative in tonal sense: more elegiac, most elegiac. Related noun: elegy; plural elegies.