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In a line of poetry written in perfect iambic pentameter, there are five unstressed syllables, each of which is followed by a stressed syllable. Each pair of syllables is a metrical foot called an iamb. Much of the greatest poetry in English has been written in iambic pentameter; Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton used it more than any other meter. Robert Frost's line "I'm going out to clean the pasture spring" is an example of it; his "And miles to go before I sleep" is instead an example of iambic tetrameter, with only four accented syllables.
Examples of pentameter in a Sentence
Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 17 May 2024
Heffernan, who was raised in southwest Detroit, was known for pushing the boundaries of traditional poetic forms such as sonnets, sestinas and iambic pentameters, infusing them with everyday conversational tones and theological depth.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 10 May 2024
The first passage is a Spenserian stanza, nine lines long, the last line being an Alexandrine—consisting of six feet, that is, and thus metrically a foot longer than the iambic pentameters that precede it.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
Adapted by Laurie Woolery, who directs, and the singer-songwriter Shaina Taub, who provides the music and lyrics, this easeful, intentional show bestows the pleasures typical of a Shakespeare comedy — adventure, disguise, multiple marriages, pentameter for days.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2022
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Cite this Entry
“Pentameter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pentameter. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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pentameter
noun
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