leitmotif

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The book is crowded with characters, but “Sunshine Charlie” Mitchell, the head of National City Bank of New York, provides a sort of leitmotif.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Its leitmotif is push and pull: unsettling, bruising, often brutal, yet ultimately life-affirming.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025

A leitmotif in "Strange New Worlds" relates to Pike foreknowledge that a life-changing accident lurks in his future.

From Salon • Aug. 18, 2023

His love of, and need to, work quickly became the leitmotif of the event.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2023

At its simplest, leitmotif is a straightforward association of a nugget of tune with a character.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall