SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
requiem
noun
A service or musical work for the dead, or a lament for something lost.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
CHOOSE WITH CARE
A useful distinction
Select alternatives within the intended sense; musical, ceremonial and figurative uses are distinct.
Music honoring the dead
No close substitute is listed for this sense. The expressions below help explain the idea.
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topUse musical wording when the context describes composing, rehearsing or performing the work. Not every such composition is a religious service.
Religious service for the dead
No close substitute is listed for this sense. The expressions below help explain the idea.
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topThis ceremony sense should not be substituted for the work of music in a concert question.
Figurative mourning for a loss
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topAn essay or other work may be described as a requiem for something lost. This is figurative mourning, not necessarily music or a ceremony.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See requiem in use
The choir rehearsed a requiem for the memorial concert.
The essay became a requiem for the demolished theater.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license