Meanings
comparative more ekphrastic · superlative most ekphrastic · alternative ecphrastic
- Pertaining to ekphrasis; clear, lucid.
He mentions Rilke, too, in passing, whose “Archaic Torso of Apollo” forms, along with “Grecian Urn” and Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts,” a triad of classic examples. These poems cast long ekphrastic shadows.
2026 June 3, Elisa Gabbert, “How Poets Went From Describing Art to Personally Admiring It”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Origin
- Ancient Greekἐκφραστικός
- Englishekphrastic
From Ancient Greek ἐκφραστικός (ekphrastikós).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ekphrastic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ekphrastic
“ekphrastic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ekphrastic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ekphrastic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ekphrastic.
Source: ekphrastic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.