poetically

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/pəʊˈɛtɪkəli//pəʊˈɛtɪkli/

adverb

In a poetic manner.

Meanings

adverbpoetically (comparative more poetically, superlative most poetically)

comparative more poetically · superlative most poetically

  1. In a poetic manner.

    I want to cry for a life unlived, floating beautifully, poetically, all these years just out of reach.

    1983, Ken Norris, Whirlwinds, section 27
    4 more examples

    One who had caught a glimpse of the shining yet solemn eyes of the youth, as he walked home, would wonder no longer that he should talk as he did—so sedately, yet so poetically—so long-windedly, if you like, yet so sensibly—even wisely.

    1875, George Macdonald, chapter 18, in Malcolm, volume I, London: Henry S. King, pages 219–220

    I found out from his mate that he was a Longfellow fan, and the fireman complained bitterly that, not being poetically inclined himself, he often wished that Alfred would put a sock in it."

    1943 September and October, T. Lovatt Williams, “Some Reminiscences of the Footplate—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 271

    The bungled phrase, the slipshod paragraph, the inept metaphor, the irrelevant excursion, the disproportionate development, the feeble conclusion, are indeed all failures of meaning, and the more poetically ambitious the verbal structure in which they occur, the deeper and more substantive the failure may be.

    1954, W. K. Wimsatt, The Verbal Icon, University Press of Kentucky, page xiii

    It was poetically fitting. For almost a year, Mr. Trump has been the 800-pound gorilla whose unpredictable rampages have obsessed the news media. Now he was completing the circle by commenting on the 400-pound gorilla who briefly stole the spotlight from him for one holiday weekend.

    2016 May 31, James Poniewozik, “Trump, 800-Pound Media Gorilla, Pounds His Chest at Reporters”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 Mar 2022

Origin

  1. Middle Englishpoetikly
  2. Englishpoetically

From Middle English poetikly, poetycally, poyetikly; equivalent to poetical + -ly or poetic + -ally.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ποιητικῶς
  • ποιητικῶς (poiētikôs)in a poetic manner
Catalan poèticament
  • poèticamentin a poetic manner
French poétiquement
  • poétiquementin a poetic manner
German poetisch
  • poetischin a poetic manner
Greek ποιητικά
  • ποιητικά (poiitiká)in a poetic manner
Italian poeticamente
  • poeticamentein a poetic manner
Persian شاعرانه
  • شاعرانهin a poetic manner
Polish poetycko
  • poetyckoin a poetic manner
Portuguese poeticamente
  • poeticamentein a poetic manner
Spanish poéticamente
  • poéticamentein a poetic manner
Cite this entry
APA

poetically. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poetically

MLA

“poetically.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poetically. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “poetically,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poetically.

Source: poetically on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.