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Definitions

essay

[es-ey, es-ey, e-sey, e-sey] / ˈɛs eɪ, ˈɛs eɪ, ɛˈseɪ, ɛˈseɪ /
NOUN
written discourse
Synonyms
STRONGEST
article discussion dissertation manuscript paper piece study thesis treatise
STRONG
composition disquisition explication exposition theme tract
Antonyms
WEAK
idleness pass
NOUN
try, attempt
Synonyms
STRONG
aim bid effort endeavor exertion experiment hassle labor shot striving struggle test toil travail trial tryout undertaking venture whack work
WEAK
dry run one's all one's level best try on
Antonyms
STRONG
entertainment fun idleness laziness pastime peace
WEAK
pass
VERB
try, attempt
Synonyms
STRONG
aim assay endeavor labor offer seek strive struggle test toil travail undertake venture work
WEAK
have a crack have a go have a shot have at it make a run at put to the test take a stab at take a whack at take on try out
Antonyms
STRONG
forget idle laze neglect relax rest
WEAK
be idle pass

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her memoir, which was based in part on Burden’s popular New York Times Modern Love essay “Was I Married to a Stranger?”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The directors take a visual essay approach, contrasting Walden Pond and its woods and the rivers Thoreau rowed with sped-up footage of our crazy modern world — which can be a little on the nose.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Together, they create a documentary that looks like a moodboard colliding with a fashion archivist’s YouTube video essay.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

He had done a good deal of writing at the table beneath that tree, calling it a “strong-willed, powerful thing in-itself, reaching up and reaching down” in his 1924 essay “Pan in America.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

But I can’t help thinking that her personal essay might be more awesome than mine.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.