poetry

[poh-i-tree]

noun

1. the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.

2. literary work in metrical form; verse.

   Antonyms: prose

3. prose with poetic qualities.

4. poetic qualities however manifested.

   the poetry of simple acts and things.

5. poetic spirit or feeling.

   The pianist played the prelude with poetry.

6. something suggestive of or likened to poetry.

   the pure poetry of a beautiful view on a clear day.

poetry

/ ˈpəʊɪtrɪ /

noun

1. literature in metrical form; verse

2. the art or craft of writing verse

3. poetic qualities, spirit, or feeling in anything

4. anything resembling poetry in rhythm, beauty, etc

Other Word Forms

• poetryless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of poetry¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English poetrie, from Medieval Latin poētria “poetic art,” derivative of poēta poet, but formation is unclear; probably not from Greek poiḗtria “poetess”

Word History and Origins

Origin of poetry¹

C14: from Medieval Latin poētria, from Latin poēta _poet

Synonym Study

Poetry, verse agree in referring to the work of a poet. The difference between poetry and verse is usually the difference between substance and form. Poetry is lofty thought or impassioned feeling expressed in imaginative words: Elizabethan poetry. Verse is any expression in words which simply conforms to accepted metrical rules and structure: the differences between prose and verse.

Example Sentences

As for the poetry of him walking off the biggest stage the way Manning did, that’s all fantasy football now, especially with more than a quarter of the regular season remaining.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The movie radiates the spare, rugged poetry of a short story or a John Prine song.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Believe it or not, I was incredibly shy,” he said, recounting his fear at having to recite poetry in school.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Heaney’s poetry the personal is always transmuted by a larger vision.

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Summers courted him to help fund an online poetry project being developed by his wife, now an emerita Harvard literature professor.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• verse 

When To Use

What is poetry?

Poetry is literature that is written in verse and emphasizes the rhythmic use of words to create imagery.  Works of poetry are called poems. A person who writes poetry is called a poet.Poetry is a major form of literature. The biggest difference that sets poetry apart from other forms of writing is that poetry uses verse, which is concerned with meter, rather than prose, which does not. Poetry also may not use complete sentences or punctuation marks. Instead, poetry places an importance on using words and syllables that give rhythm to a poem.There are many different forms of poetry, such as haiku, elegies, and sonnets. While some types of poems have rules on how they should be written, poets often break the rules if the poem will be better for it. You can find more information about these and other forms of poetry in our article, “12 Essential Types of Poetry.”