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Ekphrasis: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Ekphrasis noun. Writing that vividly describes or responds to a work of visual art.
How to say it
EK-fruh-siss/ˈɛkfrəsɪs/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (EK).
Ekphrasis in a sentence
Keats's ode on a Grecian urn is the classic example of ekphrasis.
The class wrote ekphrasis on a Hockney swimming pool, and half the poems were about loneliness.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- description
- word painting
Where ekphrasis comes from
From Greek ekphrasis, description, from ekphrazein, to speak out or tell in full.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The class wrote _____ on a Hockney swimming pool, and half the poems were about loneliness.
- crescendo
- ekphrasis
- deus ex machina
Show the answer
ekphrasis: The class wrote ekphrasis on a Hockney swimming pool, and half the poems were about loneliness.