Meaning & use
theme
A central idea or message that a piece of writing, art, or discussion explores.
See it in a sentence
Loneliness is a recurring theme throughout the author's early novels.
The conference organized its panels around the theme of sustainable urban design.
A note on using this word
Theme refers to an underlying idea, while topic refers to the surface subject matter; a story's topic might be war, but its theme could be the cost of loyalty.
Words with a similar meaning
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Make it your own
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