Theme meaning

What does “theme” mean? Definitions, examples, synonyms and opposites.

“theme” is a noun and verb with 6 meanings. Its most common meaning is: the subject matter of a conversation or discussion.

theme

the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
“he didn't want to discuss that subject”
“it was a very sensitive topic”
Synonymssubject topic
a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work
“it was the usual `boy gets girl' theme”
Synonymsmotif
(music) melodic subject of a musical composition
“the theme is announced in the first measures”
“the accompanist picked up the idea and elaborated it”
Synonymsmelodic theme musical theme idea
an essay (especially one written as an assignment)
“he got an A on his composition”
Synonymscomposition paper report
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
“thematic vowels are part of the stem”
Synonymsroot root word base stem radical

provide with a particular theme or motive
“the restaurant often themes its menus”

Source: WordNet 3.1, Princeton University