aria

noun \ ˈär-ē-ə \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of aria

1 : air, melody, tune; specifically : an accompanied, elaborate melody sung (as in an opera) by a single voice

enjoyed the soprano's romantic aria

2 : a striking solo performance (as in a movie)

… Russell Crowe's performance in Gladiator was all about the physical stuff—it was a brute-force aria of fighting and flexing and unleashing hell …
—Jeff Gordinier

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Recent Examples of aria from the Web

Don Giovanni April 13, 14 A post shared by PACIFIC OPERA PROJECT (@pacoperaproj) on Mar 9, 2018 at 5:38pm PST Pacific Opera Project is all about bringing arias to the people on the cheap.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 7 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 12 Apr. 2018
Anderson brought to them the intensity of Bach's most profound arias.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "Kathleen Battle, Julia Bullock and the saga of opera singers of color," 5 Apr. 2018
Singers interested in auditioning must submit resume, headshot, audition arias and audition date preference to: lhanson@florentineopera.org.

— elaine rewolinski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Audition notices for Milwaukee area theater and music productions (Spring 2018 edition)," 3 Apr. 2018
Mozart’s final opera seria has it all, along with a handful of memorable arias.

— david lyman, Cincinnati.com, "CCM Mainstage Series includes 'Cinderella,' 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'," 22 Mar. 2018
Rebers spent most of 2017 working through a binder of tenor arias to see which would fit him.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Searching for his sweet spot, singer Tim Rebers goes from baritone to tenor," 12 Mar. 2018
The addition of tenor Dominic Armstrong (another Curtis alumnus) allowed the program to dip into Bernstein’s vast catalog of art songs, arias and show tunes.

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Copland and Bernstein arrangements impressive at Athenaeum," 12 Mar. 2018
Accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Karel Mark Chichon, acclaimed Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca returns to the Broad Stage to sing classic arias.

— matt cooper, latimes.com, "Weekend Picks: 'Swan Lake,' 'Violet,' a Miles Davis tribute and more," 2 Mar. 2018
It's got all the usual bits: pleading duets about yearning and loss, lonely arias of memory and romance, stirring vocal harmonies.

— scott timberg, latimes.com, "Mariachi opera sings an immigrant's tale of love and loss, in potent political times," 14 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aria.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.