1. The practice or theory of composing verse in meter; adherence to metrical form in poetry.
Usage: literary; formal
2. Excessive or rigid adherence to metrical rules in poetry, sometimes at the expense of natural language or meaning.
Usage: literary criticism; often pejorative

Examples

• The poet's metricism was evident in every perfectly measured line of the sonnet.
• Critics argued that his metricism sacrificed the poem's emotional impact for technical precision.
• Classical metricism demands strict adherence to iambic pentameter.
• Modern poets often reject metricism in favor of more experimental forms.
• Her early work showed strong metricism, but she later embraced free verse.
• The anthology celebrates metricism as a fundamental skill in traditional poetry.