ode

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableliterary

   A long lyric poem in a serious, elevated style that addresses and honors a particular person, object, or idea.

   Grammar: Countable: an ode, two odes. Usually followed by to or on.

   Patterns

   • an ode to something
   • an ode on something

   Keats wrote his famous ode to a nightingale in the spring of 1819.

   The students had to compose an ode to their favorite season.

   The poet's ode celebrated the courage of the lifeboat crew.

2. 2nouncountablefigurativeinformal

   Any piece of writing, music, or art that pays loving tribute to someone or something, used loosely and often playfully.

   Grammar: Almost always in the pattern an ode to something.

   Patterns

   • an ode to something

   Her blog post was an ode to the humble sandwich.

   The new album is an ode to the city where the band grew up.

Word forms

Common combinations

ode to

He recited an ode to autumn at the school assembly.

write an ode

She decided to write an ode for her grandmother's birthday.

Pindaric ode

The professor explained how a Pindaric ode is structured.

a rousing ode

The anthem is a rousing ode to freedom.

Synonyms and how they differ

hymn

A hymn is a song of praise, usually religious, while an ode is a poem that may honor anything.

tribute

Tribute is a general word for an act of respect in any form, whereas an ode is specifically a poem or something poetic in spirit.

elegy

An elegy mourns someone who has died, but an ode celebrates and need not involve loss.

Word family

odic adjective

relating to an ode (rare)

odist noun

a writer of odes (rare)

parody noun

a humorous imitation, sharing the Greek root meaning song

Commonly confused: ode or owed?

Practice

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