litany

/ˈlɪtəni/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlɪtəni/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈli-tə-nē ˈlit-nē/ (ame, mw)

litany — noun

  • litanysingular
  • litaniesplural

1. A structured Christian prayer in which a leader speaks a series of short petitio

1.名詞B2
釋義

A structured Christian prayer in which a leader speaks a series of short petitions, and the congregation responds with a fixed phrase after each one.

例句

The priest recited the morning litany while the congregation answered 'Lord, have mercy' after each line.

collocation: recite a litany + call-and-response pattern

Karim opened his prayer book and followed the litany, joining the responses at the right moment.

同義詞
  • prayer

    broader term for any communication with God; a litany is a specific structural form

  • invocation

    an appeal or call to God; an invocation is usually shorter and not necessarily responsorial

  • supplication

    a humble plea to God; focuses on the act of begging rather than the call-and-response structure

文法句型

a/the litany

the Litany (as a proper name)

litany + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often capitalised when referring to a specific liturgical text (e.g., the Litany of the Saints). The congregation's response is almost always the same fixed phrase repeated after each petition.

常見錯誤

❌They sang a litany of songs at the concert.
✅The choir sang a litany of prayers during the service.
💡A litany is a type of prayer, not any list of songs or items.

2. A lengthy and tedious series of complaints, problems, or other undesirable matte

2.名詞B2
釋義

A lengthy and tedious series of complaints, problems, or other undesirable matters, typically recited one after another.

例句

The manager sat through a litany of complaints from customers about the slow delivery service.

collocation: a litany of complaints

In her farewell speech, Nandini listed a litany of obstacles the team had overcome together.

同義詞
  • catalogue

    emphasises completeness or thoroughness; less negative than litany

  • recital

    focuses on the act of speaking the list aloud; often implies boredom

  • string

    neutral term for a series of similar things, without the negative tone

  • plethora

    suggests an excessive amount; can be positive or negative

反義詞
  • handful

    a small number, the opposite of a long list

  • scarcity

    a lack of something, the opposite of an abundance listed out

文法句型

a litany of + noun

whole litany

the usual litany

用法筆記

Always used in a negative context — the items listed are unpleasant, frustrating, or tedious. Often implies that the speaker is tired of hearing or repeating the list. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense has no religious meaning and the items need not be prayers.

常見錯誤

❌She gave a litany of birthday presents.
✅She gave a litany of reasons why the project failed.
💡A litany in this sense must refer to unpleasant or tedious items, not happy or neutral ones.
❌His litany of achievements impressed everyone.
✅His list of achievements impressed everyone.
💡Use 'litany' only when the items are complaints or problems, not positive achievements.