noun
Niobe
NUH-ih-uh-bee
noun
1
(literary) A woman overwhelmed by grief, especially one weeping endlessly for lost children.
"She stood at the graveside like a modern Niobe, unable to stop crying."
How to Use Niobe
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA literary way to describe a woman consumed by grief, drawn from an ancient Greek myth.
When to use it
Formal and literary — rarely used in everyday speech.
Word Forms
Niobes plural
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She stood at the graveside like a modern _____, unable to stop crying.
Etymology
From Niobe, a figure in Greek mythology who wept so long after losing her children that she was turned to stone.