Standard Lemma guide

anthem

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈæn.θəm/ [ˈæn̪.θəm]
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˈan.θəm/ [ˈan̪.θəm]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˈæn.θəm/ [ˈɛə̯n̪.θəm ~ ˈeə̯n̪.θəm] General American, æ-raising
  • obsolete: /ˈæn.təm/
  • rhymes with -ænθəm
  • CMU ARPABET: AE1 N TH AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Antiphon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A choral or vocal composition, often with a religious or political lyric.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The school's anthem sang of its many outstanding qualities, and it was hard to keep a straight face while singing.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A hymn of praise or loyalty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The choir sang a selection of Christmas anthems at the service just before the big day.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A very popular song or track.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To celebrate with anthems.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: poetic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hymn

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: religious song

Narrower terms: dithyramb, doxology, chorale, choral, canticle, hymeneal, paean, pean, recessional, Dies Irae, Internationale, Te Deum

7

noun

Meaning 7

a song of devotion or loyalty (as to a nation or school)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: song, vocal

Narrower terms: national anthem

History

Etymology

From Middle English anteme, from Old English antefn, antefen and Old French antiene, anteine, anteivne, from Latin antiphōna, from Ancient Greek ἀντίφωνα (antíphōna), from ἀντί (antí, “over against”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”). Doublet of antiphon.

Across languages

Translations

123 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: himn — national anthem
  • Southern Altai: гимн (gimn) — national anthem
  • Arabic: نَشِيد (našīd) — national anthem
  • Arabic: نَشِيد وَطَنِيّ (našīd waṭaniyy) — national anthem
  • Armenian: հիմն (himn) — national anthem
  • Armenian: օրհներգ (ōrhnerg) — national anthem
  • Azerbaijani: himn — national anthem
  • Belarusian: гімн (himn) — national anthem
  • Bengali: তরানা (torana) — national anthem
  • Bulgarian: химн (himn) — national anthem
  • Burmese: နိုင်ငံတော်သီချင်း (nuingngamtausihkyang:) — national anthem
  • Burmese: အမျိုးသားသီချင်း (a.myui:sa:sihkyang:) — national anthem
  • Catalan: himne — national anthem
  • Chinese Cantonese: 國歌 /国歌 (gwok3 go1) — national anthem
  • Chinese: 國歌 /国歌 (zh-min-nan) — national anthem
  • Chinese Mandarin: 國歌 /国歌 (guógē) — national anthem
  • Czech: národní hymna — national anthem
  • Czech: hymna — national anthem
  • Danish: nationalsang — national anthem
  • Dutch: volkslied — national anthem
  • Erzya: инеморо (inemoro) — national anthem
  • Erzya: гимна (gimna) — national anthem
  • Esperanto: himno — national anthem
  • Estonian: hümn — national anthem
  • Faroese: tjóðsangur — national anthem
  • Finnish: hymni — national anthem
  • Finnish: kansallislaulu — national anthem
  • French: hymne — national anthem
  • Galician: himno — national anthem
  • Georgian: ჰიმნი (himni) — national anthem
  • Georgian: ეროვნული ჰიმნი (erovnuli himni) — national anthem
  • Georgian: სახელმწიფო ჰიმნი (saxelmc̣ipo himni) — national anthem
  • German: Hymne — national anthem
  • German: Nationalhymne — national anthem
  • Hebrew: הִמְנוֹן (himnón) — national anthem
  • Hindi: गान (gān) — national anthem
  • Hungarian: himnusz — national anthem
  • Icelandic: þjóðsöngur — national anthem
  • Ido: himno — national anthem
  • Irish: amhrán náisiúnta — national anthem
  • Italian: inno nazionale — national anthem
  • Italian: inno — national anthem
  • Japanese: 国歌 (kokka) — national anthem
  • Kalmyk: частр (çastr) — national anthem
  • Kazakh: әнұран (änūran) — national anthem
  • Khmer: ភ្លេងជាតិ (phleing ciət) — national anthem
  • Korean: 국가 (gukga) — national anthem
  • Central Kurdish: سرود (srud) — national anthem
  • Northern Kurdish: sirûd — national anthem
  • Kyrgyz: гимн (gimn) — national anthem
  • Kyrgyz: улут ыр (ulut ır) — national anthem
  • Kyrgyz: ыр ураан (ır uraan) — national anthem
  • Lao: ເພງຊາດ (phēng sāt) — national anthem
  • Latvian: himna — national anthem
  • Lithuanian: himnas — national anthem
  • Macedonian: химна (himna) — national anthem
  • Malay: lagu kebangsaan — national anthem
  • Manx: arrane ashoonagh — national anthem
  • Māori: ngaringari — national anthem
  • Mongolian: сүлд дуулал (süld duulal) — national anthem
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nasjonalsang — national anthem
  • Pashto: ملهم (malhám) — national anthem
  • Pashto: ملي سرود (meli sarúd) — national anthem
  • Pashto: سرود (sorúd) — national anthem
  • Iranian Persian: سُرود (sorud) — national anthem
  • Polish: hymn — national anthem
  • Portuguese: hino — national anthem
  • Romanian: imn național — national anthem
  • Romanian: imn — national anthem
  • Russian: гимн (gimn) — national anthem
  • Serbo-Croatian: хи̑мна — national anthem
  • Serbo-Croatian: hȋmna — national anthem
  • Slovak: hymna — national anthem
  • Slovene: himna — national anthem
  • Spanish: himno — national anthem
  • Swedish: nationalsång — national anthem
  • Tajik: мадҳия (madhiya) — national anthem
  • Tajik: суруд (surud) — national anthem
  • Thai: เพลงชาติ (pleeng-châat) — national anthem
  • Turkish: marş — national anthem
  • Turkmen: gimn — national anthem
  • Ukrainian: гімн (himn) — national anthem
  • Ukrainian: сла́вень (slávenʹ) — national anthem
  • Urdu: تَرانَہ (tarāna) — national anthem
  • Uyghur: گىمن (gimn) — national anthem
  • Uyghur: دۆلەت شېئىرى (dölet shë'iri) — national anthem
  • Uzbek: gimn — national anthem
  • Uzbek: madhiya — national anthem
  • Vietnamese: quốc ca — national anthem
  • Walloon: ime — national anthem
  • Welsh: anthem — national anthem
  • Armenian: օրհներգ (ōrhnerg) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Belarusian: гімн (himn) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Bulgarian: химн (himn) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Catalan: himne — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Chinese Mandarin: 聖歌 /圣歌 (shènggē) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Czech: hymna — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Dutch: strijdlied — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Finnish: hymni — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • French: hymne — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Galician: himno — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Georgian: ჰიმნი (himni) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Hindi: भजन (bhajan) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Hungarian: himnusz — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Irish: aintiún — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Italian: inno — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Japanese: 聖歌 (seika) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Korean: 성가 (seongga) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Manx: anthym — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Māori: ngaringari — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hymne — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Polish: hymn — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Portuguese: hino — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Romanian: imn — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Russian: гимн (gimn) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Spanish: himno — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Swedish: hymn — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Swedish: lovsång — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Ukrainian: гімн (himn) — hymn of praise or loyalty
  • Galician: himno — very popular track or song
  • Japanese: 名曲 (meikyoku) — very popular track or song
  • Japanese: ヒットソング (hittosongu) — very popular track or song
  • Portuguese: hino — very popular track or song
Real reading context

anthem in complete knowledge articles