a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic: The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting.
a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.
a short, informal essay, especially a school composition.
Music.
a principal melodic subject in a musical composition.
a short melodic subject from which variations are developed.
Grammar. the element common to all or most of the forms of an inflectional paradigm, often consisting of a root with certain formative elements or modifications.Compare stem1 (def. 16).
Linguistics. topic (def. 4).
Also thema. an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire.
adjective
having a unifying theme: a theme restaurant decorated like a spaceship.
verb (used with object),themed,them·ing.
to provide with a theme.
Origin of theme
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English teme, theme (from Old French teme), from Medieval Latin thema,Latin, from Greek théma “proposition, deposit,” akin to tithénai “to put, set down”
SYNONYMS FOR theme
1 thesis, text.
3 paper.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR theme ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for theme
1. See subject.
OTHER WORDS FROM theme
themeless,adjectivesubtheme,noun
Words nearby theme
thematic, Thematic Apperception Test, thematization, the matter, Mayor of Casterbridge, The, theme, The medium is the message, The meek shall inherit the Earth, Member of the Wedding, The, theme park, Merchant of Venice, The
In the comics, a theme that recurs again and again is Wonder Woman being tied up, then breaking free.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Warming to his theme, Argiros adds, “All human life passes through here- the good bad and the ugly.”
Inside New York’s Most Powerful Diner|Tom Teodorczuk|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the suggestion of founder Maneesh Goyal, the company went with a Pee-wee Herman theme.
The Childish Genius of Pee-wee’s Playhouse|Keith Phipps|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yeah, I mean, the theme of this episode is an interesting one.
Andrew Lincoln Wants Rick to End With Johnny Cash and the Sunset|Melissa Leon|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The issue explored the theme of vulnerability, “relevant to anyone who seeks understanding, change, love, and belonging.”
The Winning Gay Subtlety of ‘Hello Mr.’|Justin Jones|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The orchestra played his theme and an army announcer introduced him as the Number One ventriloquist in the world.
The Second Voice|Mann Rubin
The theme was not dissimilar to that which has been here presented in outline.
Notable Events of the Nineteenth Century|Various
His two 'Strawberries,' as he christened them, were henceforth the theme of every letter.
The Wits and Beaux of Society|Grace & Philip Wharton
She could not quit the theme: doing that would have been to be indifferent: something urged her to it.
The Celt and Saxon, Complete|George Meredith
But the theme by amplification became nauseous, and he at length with some roughness put an end to the tale.
Caleb Williams|William Godwin
British Dictionary definitions for theme
theme
/ (θiːm) /
noun
an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc
(in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work
musica group of notes forming a recognizable melodic unit, often used as the basis of the musical material in a composition
a short essay, esp one set as an exercise for a student
linguisticsthe first major constituent of a sentence, usually but not necessarily the subject. In the sentence history I do like, "history" is the theme of the sentence, even though it is the object of the verb
grammar another word for root 1 (def. 9), stem 1 (def. 9)
(in the Byzantine Empire) a territorial unit consisting of several provinces under a military commander
(modifier)planned or designed round one unifying subject, image, etca theme holiday
verb
(tr)to design, decorate, arrange, etc, in accordance with a theme
Derived forms of theme
themeless, adjective
Word Origin for theme
C13: from Latin thema, from Greek: deposit, from tithenai to lay down
A central idea in a piece of writing or other work of art: “The theme of desperation is found throughout his novels.” Also a short composition assigned to a student as a writing exercise.