epigram

[ ep-i-gram ]

noun

1. any witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed.

   Synonyms: bon mot, quip, witticism

2. epigrammatic expression:

   Oscar Wilde had a genius for epigram.

3. a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.

epigram

/ ˈɛpɪˌɡræm /

noun

1. a witty, often paradoxical remark, concisely expressed
2. a short, pungent, and often satirical poem, esp one having a witty and ingenious ending

epigram

1. Any pithy, witty saying or short poem. An aphorism can serve as an epigram, if it is brief.

Notes

Two other words are similar: an epigraph is usually an inscription, as on a statue; an epitaph can be such an inscription or it can be a brief literary note commemorating a dead person.

Several authors are noted for their epigrams, including Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde . One of Wilde's epigrams is “I can resist everything except temptation.”

Derived Forms

• ˌepigramˈmatically, adverb
• ˌepigramˈmatic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of epigram¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin epigramma < Greek epígramma inscription, epigram. See epi-, -gram ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of epigram¹

C15: from Latin epigramma, from Greek: inscription, from epigraphein to write upon, from graphein to write

Example Sentences

This whip-smart take on workplace racism and Black self-esteem signals its ambitions in an epigram attributed to Due: “Black history is black horror.”

From Los Angeles Times

Among Burke's epigrams are such copybook maxims as "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

From Salon

In this one, he basically stands around indulging a series of cosmic snit fits, laying waste to the digitally confected scenery and uttering tedious epigrams about time, recurrence and the apocalypse.

From Los Angeles Times

She fills the novel with epigrams, allusions and footnotes from actual texts and literature, ranging from "The Wealth of Nations" and "The Wretched of the Earth" to Wordsworth and nursery rhymes.

From Salon

Among the manuscripts, personal notes and correspondence is the unfinished draft of the third book in the Parable series, “Parable of the Trickster,” which begins with an epigram that has been attributed to Butler herself.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• aphorism