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epigram
[ ep-i-gram ]
noun
- any witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed.
- epigrammatic expression:
Oscar Wilde had a genius for epigram.
- 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
- a witty, often paradoxical remark, concisely expressed
- a short, pungent, and often satirical poem, esp one having a witty and ingenious ending
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Notes
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Derived Forms
- ˌepigramˈmatically, adverb
- ˌepigramˈmatic, adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of epigram1
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Example Sentences
Morton emailed me the following epigram from the poet Humbert Wolfe.
"And she would sacrifice Him and all his archangels to an epigram," thought Isabel, who was somewhat shocked.
"I wonder if she has ever tried to condense rudeness into an epigram," said Isabel viciously, pausing in her narrative.
Page after page—full of caustic satire, humorous sally and profound epigram—fairly bristles with merriment.
One should delight in truth; I do delight in epigram; there seems little chance for choice here.
Then he smiled grimly, thinking of Voltaire's cruel epigram—that "letters addressed to posterity seldom reach their destination!"
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