Litany
noun
A long, often repetitive list, usually of complaints, problems, or reasons.
John recited a litany of reasons why he should be granted an extension for his assignment.
Often appears as...
- litany of complaints
- litany of reasons
noun
In Christian religions, a series of prayers or petitions recited in church service.
The priest led the congregation in a litany of prayers for peace.
Often appears as...
- recited a litany
- litany of prayers
Usage tips
Respectful
Religious
noun
A long, often repetitive list, usually of complaints, problems, or reasons.
John recited a litany of reasons why he should be granted an extension for his assignment.
Often appears as...
- litany of complaints
- litany of reasons
noun
In Christian religions, a series of prayers or petitions recited in church service.
The priest led the congregation in a litany of prayers for peace.
Often appears as...
- recited a litany
- litany of prayers
Usage tips
Respectful
Religious
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotation
Used to express displeasure, often sounding like a complaint or an extensive series of problems.
The meeting started with a litany of issues the team faced last week.
Pro Tip 2/3Expresses Exhaustion
Indicates the speaker is tired or overwhelmed by the number or similarity of items listed.
She sighed as she recounted the litany of tasks she had yet to finish.
Pro Tip 3/3Hyperbolic Effect
Often used to exaggerate for effect, not to be taken as a literal long list.
His litany of excuses left us more amused than convinced.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotation
Used to express displeasure, often sounding like a complaint or an extensive series of problems.
The meeting started with a litany of issues the team faced last week.
Pro Tip 2/3Expresses Exhaustion
Indicates the speaker is tired or overwhelmed by the number or similarity of items listed.
She sighed as she recounted the litany of tasks she had yet to finish.
Pro Tip 3/3Hyperbolic Effect
Often used to exaggerate for effect, not to be taken as a literal long list.
His litany of excuses left us more amused than convinced.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotation
Used to express displeasure, often sounding like a complaint or an extensive series of problems.
The meeting started with a litany of issues the team faced last week.
Pro Tip 2/3Expresses Exhaustion
Indicates the speaker is tired or overwhelmed by the number or similarity of items listed.
She sighed as she recounted the litany of tasks she had yet to finish.
Pro Tip 3/3Hyperbolic Effect
Often used to exaggerate for effect, not to be taken as a literal long list.
His litany of excuses left us more amused than convinced.
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Video examples
Paul Snelgrove: A census...
Ocean acidification is a really big issue that people are concerned with, as well as ocean warming, and the effects they're going to have on coral reefs. On the scale of decades, in our lifetimes, we're going to see a lot of damage to coral reefs. And I could spend the rest of my time, which is getting very limited, going through this litany of concerns about the ocean,
Video examples
To solve old problems,...
And yet, after all the attention they have garnered, and all the knowledge they have generated, as well as the lion's share of the funding, here we are standing the same litany of intractable problems and many new challenges. And that's because, unfortunately, these seven animals essentially correspond
Video examples
First Look: The Long...
It's just a peacekeeping mission. They'll be fine. So now equally newly-arrived men who didn't know the city had to go in, in unarmored Humvees and open trucks to get their brothers. We'll be sitting ducks. A litany of rescue attempts went out to try to get to where these guys were pinned down.
Video examples
The Secret Culture of...
and explores all kinds of shipwrecks and sunken german u-boats in the north atlantic and finally he becomes one of national geographic's go-to underwater photographers since then he's observed a litany of fascinating creatures in the ocean
Video examples
Larry Brilliant: TED...
It is a litany. It is so obvious that our only way of dealing with these new diseases is to find them early and to kill them before they spread. So, my TED wish is for you to help build a global system -- an early-warning system --
Video examples
Actually, the world...
in some cases even reverses some of the fears that people have about globalization so I actually spend most of my world 3.0 book working through a litany of market failures and fears that people have that they worry
Video examples
Rory Stewart: Time to...
was making Afghanistan less secure, not more secure -- that the counter-insurgency strategy was not working and would not work. And yet, nobody listened to them. Instead, there was a litany of astonishing optimism.
Video examples
Pankaj Ghemawat:...
because it reduces and in some cases even reverses some of the fears that people have about globalization. So I actually spend most of my "World 3.0" book working through a litany of market failures and fears
Video examples
Amy Toensing: The...
It's a litany of dispossession. Maybe my job here as a story teller wasn't to just document a disappearing culture, in this modern world. Maybe it was to look at this living, breathing,
Video examples
Clearing Everest's Trash...
impossible to the Challenger rahamallah a litany poor mobility about your mutter paneer me multi Sofia granny again take on the song
Video examples
Paul Snelgrove: A census...
Ocean acidification is a really big issue that people are concerned with, as well as ocean warming, and the effects they're going to have on coral reefs. On the scale of decades, in our lifetimes, we're going to see a lot of damage to coral reefs. And I could spend the rest of my time, which is getting very limited, going through this litany of concerns about the ocean,
Video examples
To solve old problems,...
And yet, after all the attention they have garnered, and all the knowledge they have generated, as well as the lion's share of the funding, here we are standing the same litany of intractable problems and many new challenges. And that's because, unfortunately, these seven animals essentially correspond
Video examples
First Look: The Long...
It's just a peacekeeping mission. They'll be fine. So now equally newly-arrived men who didn't know the city had to go in, in unarmored Humvees and open trucks to get their brothers. We'll be sitting ducks. A litany of rescue attempts went out to try to get to where these guys were pinned down.
Video examples
The Secret Culture of...
and explores all kinds of shipwrecks and sunken german u-boats in the north atlantic and finally he becomes one of national geographic's go-to underwater photographers since then he's observed a litany of fascinating creatures in the ocean
Video examples
Larry Brilliant: TED...
It is a litany. It is so obvious that our only way of dealing with these new diseases is to find them early and to kill them before they spread. So, my TED wish is for you to help build a global system -- an early-warning system --
Video examples
Actually, the world...
in some cases even reverses some of the fears that people have about globalization so I actually spend most of my world 3.0 book working through a litany of market failures and fears that people have that they worry
Video examples
Rory Stewart: Time to...
was making Afghanistan less secure, not more secure -- that the counter-insurgency strategy was not working and would not work. And yet, nobody listened to them. Instead, there was a litany of astonishing optimism.
Video examples
Pankaj Ghemawat:...
because it reduces and in some cases even reverses some of the fears that people have about globalization. So I actually spend most of my "World 3.0" book working through a litany of market failures and fears
Video examples
Amy Toensing: The...
It's a litany of dispossession. Maybe my job here as a story teller wasn't to just document a disappearing culture, in this modern world. Maybe it was to look at this living, breathing,
Video examples
Clearing Everest's Trash...
impossible to the Challenger rahamallah a litany poor mobility about your mutter paneer me multi Sofia granny again take on the song
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Ashton Kutcher
American Actor
If Google decided at any point to publish my search history, or your search history, or anyone's search history, there's a litany of things they could idea police you about, and if it was published, you would be publicly shamed. Everyone would be publicly shamed. But we trust Google, and we trust the people that run that company.
Quote examples
Dove Cameron
American Actress
It's very interesting because as an actor, you play a litany of different roles, but to play both of them within the same day multiple times, in quick successions, it's different and sort of a really rare opportunity that I was initially terrified by and a little bit daunted by.
Quote examples
Bill Parcells
American Coach
Even when you're successful, even when you win the game, about an hour after the game, you have a litany of things that you now deal with that are problematic... So the times that you are happy are minute compared to the time that you're dealing with problems.
Quote examples
Octavia E. Butler
American Writer
And I have this little litany of things they can do. And the first one, of course, is to write - every day, no excuses. It's so easy to make excuses. Even professional writers have days when they'd rather clean the toilet than do the writing.
Quote examples
Michael Gove
British Politician
If we, in the future, have confidence in ourselves, then there's no limit to what we can achieve, and I think the depressing litany... that we hear from the Remain side is not the type of approach we should take into the future.
Quote examples
Adlai Stevenson II
American Politician
With the supermarket as our temple and the singing commercial as our litany, are we likely to fire the world with an irresistible vision of America's exalted purpose and inspiring way of life?
Quote examples
Dean Ambrose
American Wrestler
It's not like I'm not constantly dealing with a litany of injuries that I have myself. If it's not one thing, it's another thing, but I've just been able to keep rolling.
Quote examples
Nick Cave
Australian Musician
My records are basically a litany of complaints against the world, and I'm quite like that in real life as well.
Quote examples
Bret Easton Ellis
American Author
I totally relate to Tom Cruise. He's not crazy, it's just the litany of the mid-life crisis.
Quote examples
Allen Ginsberg
American Poet
America, how can I write a holy litany in your silly mood?
Quote examples
Ashton Kutcher
American Actor
If Google decided at any point to publish my search history, or your search history, or anyone's search history, there's a litany of things they could idea police you about, and if it was published, you would be publicly shamed. Everyone would be publicly shamed. But we trust Google, and we trust the people that run that company.
Quote examples
Dove Cameron
American Actress
It's very interesting because as an actor, you play a litany of different roles, but to play both of them within the same day multiple times, in quick successions, it's different and sort of a really rare opportunity that I was initially terrified by and a little bit daunted by.
Quote examples
Bill Parcells
American Coach
Even when you're successful, even when you win the game, about an hour after the game, you have a litany of things that you now deal with that are problematic... So the times that you are happy are minute compared to the time that you're dealing with problems.
Quote examples
Octavia E. Butler
American Writer
And I have this little litany of things they can do. And the first one, of course, is to write - every day, no excuses. It's so easy to make excuses. Even professional writers have days when they'd rather clean the toilet than do the writing.
Quote examples
Michael Gove
British Politician
If we, in the future, have confidence in ourselves, then there's no limit to what we can achieve, and I think the depressing litany... that we hear from the Remain side is not the type of approach we should take into the future.
Quote examples
Adlai Stevenson II
American Politician
With the supermarket as our temple and the singing commercial as our litany, are we likely to fire the world with an irresistible vision of America's exalted purpose and inspiring way of life?
Quote examples
Dean Ambrose
American Wrestler
It's not like I'm not constantly dealing with a litany of injuries that I have myself. If it's not one thing, it's another thing, but I've just been able to keep rolling.
Quote examples
Nick Cave
Australian Musician
My records are basically a litany of complaints against the world, and I'm quite like that in real life as well.
Quote examples
Bret Easton Ellis
American Author
I totally relate to Tom Cruise. He's not crazy, it's just the litany of the mid-life crisis.
Quote examples
Allen Ginsberg
American Poet
America, how can I write a holy litany in your silly mood?
Example 1 of 10
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