Eulogy vs Elegy: What’s the Difference?

The difference at a glance

An elegy is a poem or piece of music of mourning — an artistic meditation on loss, which may or may not address a specific person. A eulogy is specifically a speech of praise delivered for someone, most commonly at a funeral or memorial. Both are bound to death, but an elegy is a literary form expressing grief, while a eulogy is a practical speech performing tribute. The elegy mourns; the eulogy honours. An elegy can exist without a body in the room; a eulogy is always spoken to the living in memory of someone.

What does Eulogy mean?

noun · /ˈjuː.lə.dʒi/

A speech or piece of writing that praises someone highly, especially one given at a funeral or memorial service; formal commendation.

Eulogy in a sentence

She delivered the eulogy without breaking down, which she later said was the hardest thing she had ever done.

The eulogy captured everything that made him difficult to describe in ordinary conversation.

What does Elegy mean?

noun · /ˈelɪdʒi/

A poem, song, or piece of music written in memory or mourning of someone or something lost; a mournful piece.

Elegy in a sentence

He wrote the piece as an elegy for his hometown, demolished while he was away.

Some of the greatest literature is elegiac — grief given form and beauty.

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