leitmotif
1
9.1
- noun
- /ˈlaɪtmoʊˌtiːf/
- Specialized
:
leitmotiv
- In Wagner's operas, the leitmotif associated with each character enhances the storytelling.
- become a leitmotif
Examples
-
Over the past twenty years, the decline of poetry has been a leitmotif among leading Italian critics.
Academic text (2007) -
Moreover, it challenges certain leitmotifs of our Christian identity, particularly on how we conceive of and live as church.
Academic text (2008) -
That seems to be the leitmotif in your life.
-
Such indeed was the leitmotif in the popular press and on television, both in England and America.
Academic text (1991) -
The promise of the land to the patriarchs is the leitmotif in the Five Books of Moses.
Academic text (1995) -
For nearly a century, "armed struggle" was the dominant leitmotif of the Palestinian nationalist movement.
Academic text (2011) -
Not surprisingly, then, the participation and solidarity that dialogue requires is a leitmotif in the pastoral letter.
Academic text (1993) -
A remarkable feature of Walter Pater's writings, one often cited as the leitmotif of his life and art, is their sadness.
Academic text (2000) -
For Margulis and Sagan, interrelation, rather than competition, is the leitmotif of nature.
Academic text (1994) -
Wiesel thereby invoked his leitmotif of the indifference of the bystander to those who are oppressed.
Academic text (1998)
Synonyms
173
3.4
A melody that repeats and becomes the main musical idea
88
7.5
A short melody that returns and changes in a musical piece
6
7.4
A short musical idea that repeats or changes through a piece
3
6.7
A short musical idea that repeats and is changed in a piece
1
3.4
The main tune that represents a person or idea in a piece of music
1
3.4
A short group of notes that sounds complete in a piece of music
1
9.9
A short tune that comes back in music to represent a person or idea
1
5.8
A main tune that returns and shapes a musical piece
1
8.6
A short musical phrase or rhythm that repeats many times
How Prominent
Surface Forms
Etymology
Leitmotif comes from German parts leit- meaning 'leading', like English 'lead', and motif meaning 'theme' or 'idea'. So a leitmotif is a 'leading theme' that repeats in music or a story to signal a particular person, thing, or feeling.