falsetto

noun fal·set·to \ fȯl-ˈse-(ˌ)tō \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Definition of falsetto

plural falsettos

1 : an artificially high voice; especially : an artificially produced singing voice that overlaps and extends above the range of the full voice especially of a tenor

2 : a singer who uses falsetto

See falsetto defined for English-language learners

See falsetto defined for kids

Recent Examples of falsetto from the Web

Reinhart dances near the top of her range in a tired, almost bored falsetto.

— rebecca farley, refinery29.com, "Haley Reinhart's "Last Kiss Goodbye" Has All Of Your Favorite Things," 31 May 2018
Joshua Kiszka’s falsetto, a dead ringer for vintage Robert Plant, is the most cited reason for comparing Greta to Led Zeppelin.

— jay trucker, baltimoresun.com, "Greta Van Fleet earns comparisons to rock legends at Rams Head Live," 10 May 2018
Fifteen years after blasting onto the charts with over-the-top falsetto, body-hugging jumpsuits and hair-metal tomfoolery, the British hard-rock revivalists are back on the UK charts with an accidentally political anthem eschewing public transit.

— courtney devores, charlotteobserver, "8 buzzworthy concerts coming to Charlotte in the next week | Charlotte Observer," 25 Apr. 2018
Mercifully, the electronic music bombasts don’t continue into the rest of the album, with the band instead opting for Maroon 5-esque pop-rock, replacing Adam Levine’s paper-thin falsetto with frontman Patrick Stump’s tortured squeeze-toy wails.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "Review: Fall Out Boy's 'Mania' is an unholy mess," 19 Jan. 2018
Puth’s falsetto, simpering and sticky, immediately seemed well-suited to an era when producers commonly manipulate voices to sound superhumanly high and squeaky.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The New Prince of Pablum," 11 May 2018
Sumney used vocal effects to make his falsetto into its own instrument.

— anne nickoloff, cleveland.com, "The National's Homecoming music festival features somber alt-rock in downtown Cincinnati (photos)," 30 Apr. 2018
Yet surely no one anticipated the falsetto passages that soared high into the stratosphere without becoming shrill.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "The many facets of Johnny O'Neal play out at Winter’s Jazz Club," 1 Apr. 2018
Legend added a few subtle runs, launching into a haunting falsetto when necessary.

— rebecca keegan, HWD, "More Great Shows Trump Can Watch," 30 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of falsetto

Italian, from diminutive of falso false, from Latin falsus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1721

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

falsetto

adverb

Definition of falsetto

: in falsetto

Recent Examples of falsetto from the Web

Across those three tracks, Timberlake fashioned a new sound with the Neptunes, the production duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, shedding his pop-singer sheen for dirty drums, falsetto vocal runs, and, notably, guitar.

— doreen st. félix, The New Yorker, "Justin Timberlake’s Roots Run Deep," 14 Mar. 2018
Fats Domino announced himself with this single: a two-fisted boogie-woogie piano intro with tremolo flourishes, verses that establish his 200-pound physique and his New Orleans locale and a falsetto vocal like a trumpet solo.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "Fats Domino Songs: Listen to 12 Essential Tracks," 25 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of falsetto

1940

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

FALSETTO Defined for English Language Learners

falsetto

noun

Definition of falsetto for English Language Learners

: a very high voice used by a man (such as a male singer)

Learn More about falsetto

See words that rhyme with falsetto Spanish Central: Translation of falsetto Nglish: Translation of falsetto for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about falsetto

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falsetto

Definition of falsetto

Recent Examples of falsetto from the Web

Origin and Etymology of falsetto

falsetto

Definition of falsetto

Recent Examples of falsetto from the Web

First Known Use of falsetto

FALSETTO Defined for English Language Learners

falsetto

Definition of falsetto for English Language Learners

Learn More about falsetto

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falsetto

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