Epigram Definition

ĕpĭ-grăm
epigrams
noun
epigrams
A short poem with a witty or satirical point.
Webster's New World
Any terse, witty, pointed statement, often with a clever twist in thought (Ex.: “Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes”)
Webster's New World
Epigrammatic discourse or expression.
American Heritage
Use of the epigram.
Webster's New World

A short, witty or pithy poem.

When an epigram one's composin',
Brevity is key,
Of stanzas: one should be chosen,
And of lines: one more than three.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Epigram

Noun

Singular:
epigram
Plural:
epigrams

Origin of Epigram

  • Middle English from Old French epigramme from Latin epigramma from Greek from epigraphein to mark the surface, inscribe epi- epi- graphein to write gerbh- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Middle French épigramme, from Latin epigramma, from Ancient Greek ἐπίγραμμα (epigramma, “inscription”).

    From Wiktionary

Epigram Sentence Examples

  • Delicate irony and pointed epigram take the place of broad humour.

  • The father died five days after his son in 4 B.C. He had done much for the Jews, thanks to the favour he had won and kept in spite of all from the successive heads of the Roman state; he had observed the Law publicly - in fact, as the traditional epigram of Augustus says, "it was better to be Herod's swine than a son of Herod."

  • He is the long man with the short epigram.

  • Lessing's theory of the origin of the epigram is somewhat fanciful, but no other critic has offered so many pregnant hints as to the laws of epigrammatic verse, or defended with so much force and ingenuity the character of Martial.

  • A limerick is a kind of burlesque epigram, written in five lines.

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Epigram Is Also Mentioned In

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Words Starting With

EEPEPI

Words Ending With

MAMRAM

Unscrambles

epigram

Words Starting With E and Ending With M

Starts With E & Ends With MStarts With EP & Ends With MStarts With E & Ends With AM

Word Length

7 Letter Words7 Letter Words Starting With E7 Letter Words Ending With M