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ode

ode

22 7.8
A poem that praises someone or something in a formal, musical way
  • noun
  • /oʊd/
  • Literature
translation icon : oda
  • Ode to a Nightingale: A love song to inspiration.
  • Ode by Keats
  • Ode to Joy
  • Ode to a Nightingale

And finally, to Carter's Ode to Cold Brew.

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Examples

  • The poem, entitled "La jeune captive," was an ode to a beautiful young female prisoner, written in the woman's voice.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I once penned an ode to the wines of Spain.

  • So Ode to Joy is not a Christmas song?

  • Each year at Class Day, students write a new class ode to the tune of Fair Harvard.

  • There was a particular poem she remembered, "Ode to a Couple."

    Fiction book (1999)
  • So this is my olive branch, my ode to Olivia to win her friendship.

  • But it's an ode to the town that's allowed us to thrive.

  • When I woke in the morning, he was gone and the Ode to Joy was blasting from my stereo.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • For fans of Joe Hill and VE Schwab, it's an ode to art and science and history and magic.

  • I once penned an ode to the wines of Spain.

Synonyms

poem
vsode
766 1.7

A short piece of writing that expresses feelings and ideas with rhythm and style

is a more specific, often addressed songlike work with complex stanza form
lyric
vsode
  • Literature
42 4.6

A short poem that expresses personal feelings in a songlike way

is more formal and often addressed to a specific subject
lyric poem
vsode
  • Literature
1 4.8

A short poem that shows personal feelings, often like a song

is usually addressed to one subject and uses elaborate stanza structure

Compounds

choral ode
  • Literature
9.9

A song sung by the chorus in Greek plays to comment on the action

Horatian ode
  • Literature
9.9

A calm, thoughtful poem with several equal parts and a regular rhythm like Horace wrote

Pindaric ode
  • Literature
9.9

A formal poem with groups of three short sections, based on poems by the ancient Greek poet Pindar

Sapphic ode
  • Literature
9.9

A poem in four-line stanzas that follows an old Greek rhythm, often about love or strong feeling

How Elaborate

epic
  • Literature
44 5.5
ode
  • Literature
22 7.8
sonnet
  • Literature
29 6.2
lyric
  • Literature
42 4.6

Surface Forms

ode singular
odes plural

Etymology

Ode comes from the old Greek word oide, which means 'song'. An ode is like a song in poem form, often written to praise or speak to someone or something, which is why odes are usually lyrical and aimed at a particular subject.