noun / verb
theme
THEEM/θiːm/
A central recurring idea in a work.
The sea is the shared theme of the three distinct paintings.
Etymology
Greek thema meant something 'set down,' including a proposition or subject for discussion. This gives theme its central image: the idea laid before a speaker, writer, or audience.
In context
A theme makes your job easier because it gives you some guidelines for what to include, what to exclude and what to emphasize.
More examples
- Trust is a recurring theme in her poems.
- A familiar theme returns in the symphony's final movement.
- The museum themes its new exhibit around ocean conservation.
Forms
theme · themes · themed · theming
thematic adjective — Relating to a work's central ideas.