leitmotif or leit·mo·tiv [ lahyt-moh-teef ]
noun
1. a motif or theme associated throughout a music drama with a particular person, situation, or idea.
2. a unifying or dominant motif; a recurrent theme: A leitmotif in science fiction is the evolving relationship between humans and machines.
WORDS RELATED TO LEITMOTIF
thought, motif, point, text, question, argument, topic, matter, stuff, problem, line, subject, case, affair, head, thesis, business, keynote, motive, proposition
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Origin: First recorded in 1875–80; from German: “leading motive”
EXAMPLE SENTENCES FROM THE WEB FOR LEITMOTIF
A leitmotif on journalism threads through this often-byzantine narrative.
HOW THE ‘WITCH HUNT’ MYTH UNDERMINED AMERICAN JUSTICE|JASON BERRY|JULY 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The leitmotif of the new vogue in bad parenting is that keeping the marital buzz buzzing trumps the children.
HOW BAD PARENTING BECAME COOL|MARGARET CARLSON|JUNE 19, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He will come back, murmured Chavvy, in concordance with her leitmotif.
TWOS AND THREES|G. B. STERN
And the "Wacht am Rhein" seemed to come and go at intervals, like a leitmotif to all their doings.
A WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE IN THE GREAT WAR|LOUISE MACK
Now YOU come up with a sentence (or fic? or graphic?) that best illustrates the word.
