lilting

adjective

lilt·​ing ˈlil-tiŋ How to pronounce lilting (audio)
1
: characterized by a rhythmical swing or cadence
a lilting stride
2
: cheerful, buoyant
a lilting comedy
liltingly adverb
liltingness noun

Examples of lilting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Hynes’s grateful curatorial instincts (emboldened by appearances from everyone from Daniel Caesar to an ad-lib-lilting Zadie Smith) only further the contemplative-exuberance aesthetic, making Essex Honey his most quietly explosive album. Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025 Nicholas Brittell delivers a lilting musical score. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025 Wales, meanwhile, sings in slate and soul—its valleys dotted with woolly sheep and echoed by the lilting notes of male voice choirs drifting from chapel doors. Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025 Reid delivers the deeply romantic verses in a lilting voice. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lilting

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lilting was in 1800

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Cite this Entry

“Lilting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lilting. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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