Poetry Glossary - Understand Poetry Terms

Term	Definition	Example
Metaphor	A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.	The world is a stage.
Meter	The rhythm of a piece of poetry, determined by the number and length of feet in a line.	Iambic pentameter, often used by Shakespeare, is a type of meter.
Metonymy	A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept.	"The White House issued a statement" where "The White House" refers to the U.S. President or administration.
Mock Epic	A poem that parodies the epic by treating a trivial subject in a grand style.	Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" is a famous mock epic.
Monometer	A line of verse consisting of a single metrical foot.	"Thus I Pass by, And die: As one, Unknown, And gone."
Narrative Poetry	A form of poetry that tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well.	The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Neoclassical Poetry	A style of poetry from the 18th century that is characterized by its adherence to classical forms and ideals, such as order, logic, and restraint.	The works of Alexander Pope, such as The Rape of the Lock.
Nonet	A nine-line poem that starts with nine syllables in the first line and reduces by one syllable with each subsequent line, ending with a one-syllable line.	A Nonet poem structure (no widely known examples as it’s a form rather than a popular genre)
Nonsense Verse	A type of light, humorous poetry that plays with absurdity and often uses made-up words or strange concepts.	Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
Nostalgia	A tone or mood that reflects a longing for the past, often idealized or romanticized in poetry.	I Remember, I Remember by Thomas Hood

Our comprehensive Poetry Glossary, designed for students, teachers, and poetry enthusiasts alike. Whether you're delving into poetic forms, exploring rhyme schemes, or understanding the nuances of metrical feet, our glossary is an essential resource to enhance your study of poetry.

Our glossary covers a wide range of poetry terms, from alliteration, the repetition of initial consonant sounds, to the structure of free verse, which flows without a fixed metrical pattern. Learn about how stressed and unstressed syllables form the foundation of metrical feet, or explore how a rhyme scheme organizes the pattern of sounds at the end of lines in a poem.

Use the search function to quickly find terms like group of lines in a stanza or the repetition of sounds in a poem or section. Whether you're looking to understand how a series of words creates rhythmic patterns or how the number of syllables affects the flow of a line of poetry, our glossary has the definitions and examples you need.