theme
[noun]
Synonyms:
- subject, idea, keynote, subject matter, topic
- motif, leitmotif

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. theme S2 W2 AC /θiːm/ noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: theme; adverb: thematically; adjective: thematic]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Latin; Origin: thema, from Greek, 'something laid down, theme', from tithenai 'to put']

1. SUBJECT the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech, film etc:
The book’s theme is the conflict between love and duty.
main/central/major etc theme
Campbell has made health care a central theme in his campaign.
Nature is a recurrent theme (=a theme that appears repeatedly) in Frost’s poetry.
Most of Kurt’s other pictures were variations on the same theme.

2. theme music/song/tune music or a song that is often played during a film or musical play, or at the beginning and end of a television or radio programme:
the theme song from ‘The Brady Bunch’

3. REPEATED TUNE a short simple tune that is repeated and developed in a piece of music:
Freia’s theme in Wagner’s opera

4. STYLE a particular style:
Her bedroom is decorated in a Victorian theme.

5. PIECE OF WRITING American English old-fashioned a short piece of writing on a particular subject that you do for school Synonym : essay
theme on
Your homework is to write a two-page theme on pollution.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. themed /θiːmd/ (also theme) adjective [usually before noun]
a themed place or event has been designed to make people who go there feel like they are in a particular place or historical period:
themed restaurants such as the Rainforest Café

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

theme
noun
ADJ. basic, central, dominant, important, key, main, major, underlying | broad, general | common, popular, universal universal themes of love and loneliness
constant, familiar, favourite, recurrent, recurring | related | unifying | contemporary, topical | historical, religious, etc. | campaign, conference, research | musical The film's haunting musical theme stayed in my head for days.
VERB + THEME develop, discuss, examine, explore His later novels develop the theme of alienation.
warm to ‘Our work’, he continued, warming to his theme, ‘will be a milestone in scientific history.’
THEME + VERB emerge Several familiar themes emerged from the discussion.
run through sth The same themes run through all her novels.
THEME + NOUN music, song, tune | park, pub
PREP. on the ~ of He gave a talk on the theme of teenage unemployment.
PHRASES variations on a theme Most of the essays appear to be variations on a few central themes.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

theme

the main/central/dominant theme
The main theme of the book is the importance of honesty.
a major theme
Cultural change is the second major theme of his work.
a common theme
Death and rebirth is a common theme in Eliot’s poetry.
a recurrent/recurring theme (=one that appears several times)
Returning to traditional values was a major theme of the president’s speech.
an underlying theme (=one that is important but not very noticeable)
One of the book’s underlying themes is the struggle for human rights.
a universal theme (=subjects that affect people of all races and cultures)
Readers everywhere can relate to the universal themes in his work.
variations on a theme (=things with a similar basic subject, style etc)
Most of her short stories are variations on the theme of tragedy.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲