aria

noun

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\ ˈär-ē-ə

plural arias also arie\ ˈär-ē-ˌā

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

3 : a written or spoken passage or text likened to a dramatic or emotional operatic solo … a plainspoken but moving aria on the joys of rural living …— Lauren Collins

Examples of aria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Nation of Islam leader Elijah, Robertson’s tenor was more traditional, most climactically in a laser-beam-bright high note held at the end of Elijah’s first aria. — Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2022 Pianist Susan Walters played the composition’s aria and variations delightfully, at an aptly leisurely pace. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, 16 May 2022 Tenor Marco Antonio Labastida, who will portray Butterfly’s dashing American suitor, squeezes through the door and immediately launches into an aria. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022 Canio is a signature role for tenors, including Enrico Caruso, whose haunting recording of the aria Vesti la Giubba at the turn of the 20th Century is iconic. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2022 Carlos has only one big aria at the beginning, and after that must convey his character largely in exchanges with others. — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2022 Tosca famously sings in her gorgeous Act 2 aria, lived for art, and lived for love. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 13 Mar. 2022 About halfway through the first part of the aria, Teicher stepped onto the platform and silently spun. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2022 Each month, a singer works with a director to conceive and record a music video of an aria with a visual connection to contemporary life. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2022 See More

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.