ear candy

noun

Definition of ear candy

: music that is pleasing to listen to but lacks depth

See ear candy defined for English-language learners

ear candy was our Word of the Day on 12/06/2010. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of ear candy from the Web

Earrings Meghan and Kate both kept their jewelry simple, but the Cartier ear candy was a little different for the two brides.

— megan decker, Harper's BAZAAR, "VOTE: Which Royal Wedding Did You Prefer, Kate Middleton's or Meghan Markle's?," 19 May 2018
An amalgam of textures, tones and tempos, the 13-track opus delivers plenty of ear candy for guitar nerds to salivate over, but real heart — often a broken one — lies underneath its mazes of synth, stately piano and spaceship blips and beeps.

— janine schaults, chicagotribune.com, "Been-everywhere producer Jonathan Wilson on his 'do-or-die' new recording," 26 Feb. 2018
Then again, creating ear candy is Coldplay’s specialty.

— george varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Love 'em or hate 'em, Coldplay's coming to San Diego," 4 Oct. 2017
Then again, creating ear candy is Coldplay’s specialty.

— george varga, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Love ’em or hate ’em, Coldplay’s coming to San Diego," 4 Oct. 2017

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

Did You Know?

Ear candy made its debut (in print, at least) as the title of a 1977 album by pop singer Helen Reddy. The album has long since faded from the charts, but the term endures and it is now used widely enough to have gained entry into abridged dictionaries. Although "ear candy" is sometimes used critically to describe tunes that are considered "gooey," "sweet," or "saccharine," the people who make the music and their fans find it tasty. As one 90s band member sagely put it, does it really matter if ear candy "isn't about the secret of life"?