SKIP TO CONTENT

strophic

/ˈstrɑfɪk/
/ˈstroʊfɪk/
IPA guide

The adjective strophic describes a poem that uses the same structure for all its stanzas — the same rhyme scheme, meter, and number of lines. A song is strophic if all its verses are sung to the same musical melody.

In modern poetry, a strophe is a stanza — a block of lines forming a distinct section of a poem. Strophic poems, such as ballads, are arranged in groups of lines forming distinct sections, often with repeated structural patterns. Strophic songs, such as hymns, carols, many folk songs, and children's songs, have verses that are sung to the same music, although the words change with each repetition — think "Old Macdonald Had a Farm."

Definitions of strophic
  1. adjective
    (music) relating to a piece of music having two or more sections of a song with the same melody
  2. adjective
    (poetry) relating to a poem's arrangement of stanzas or groups of lines, usually with the same meter and rhyme scheme
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘strophic'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of soonshin.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family