lyric

noun

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lyr·ic | \ ˈlir-ik

Definition of lyric

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a lyric composition specifically : a lyric poem

2 : the words of a song —often used in plural

lyric

adjective

Definition of lyric (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : suitable for singing to the lyre or for being set to music and sung

b : of, relating to, or being drama set to music especially : operatic lyric stage

2a : expressing direct usually intense personal emotion especially in a manner suggestive of song lyric poetry

b : exuberant, rhapsodic exploded with lyric wrath — Time

3 of an opera singer : having a light voice and a melodic style a lyric soprano — compare dramatic

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about lyric

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Synonyms & Antonyms for lyric

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

unlyrical

Did You Know?

Adjective

To the ancient Greeks, anything lyrikos was appropriate to the lyre. That elegant stringed instrument was highly regarded by the Greeks and was used to accompany intensely personal poetry that revealed the thoughts and feelings of the poet. When the adjective lyric, a descendant of lyrikos, was adopted into English in the 1500s, it too referred to things pertaining or adapted to the lyre. Initially, it was applied to poetic forms (such as elegies, odes, or sonnets) that expressed strong emotion, to poets who wrote such works, or to things that were meant to be sung; over time, it was extended to anything musical or rhapsodic. Nowadays, lyric is also used as a noun naming either a type of poem or the words of a song.

Examples of lyric in a Sentence

Noun a song with a beautiful lyric a poet admired for his lyrics Adjective they performed a slow, lyric dance for the audience the film's lyric photography really enhanced its romantic mood

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The draft effectively endorsed the movement to boycott Israel, and also included a song lyric suggesting that Jews manipulated the press. — Ben Sales, sun-sentinel.com, "California approves ethnic studies curriculum that sparked debate among Jewish groups," 24 Mar. 2021 An accompanying song echoed around the ballpark, repeating the same lyric over and over. — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, "Pitching and batting leadoff? Angels’ Shohei Ohtani makes it look easy," 21 Mar. 2021 The very real art world, and not a Kraftwerk lyric, made history on Thursday when $69.3 million was spent on a JPG file made by graphic designer Mike Winkelmann. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, "Someone Really Spent $69 Million on This Nice JPG," 11 Mar. 2021 The lyric prompted Vanessa Bryant to post an Instagram Story criticizing Mill. — NBC News, "'This lacks respect and tact': Vanessa Bryant calls out rapper Meek Mill over Kobe lyric," 23 Feb. 2021 Siwa, who came out as a member of the LGBTQ community last month, has not spoken out on the lyric or DaBaby's response. — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE.com, "DaBaby Explains He Meant No Harm with JoJo Siwa Name Drop on Song — Says It Was a Play on Words," 22 Feb. 2021 So says the website of Meet Minneapolis, the city's convention and visitors association, citing a song lyric. — Editorial Board Star Tribune, Star Tribune, "Uptown Minneapolis is in a reset cycle," 27 Nov. 2020 Under the pressure of repetition, the lyric phrase releases its full range of meanings. — New York Times, "Sam Hunt’s," 10 Mar. 2021 Anyone could upload their music videos, lyric videos, visualizers, and behind-the-scenes content. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, "Tuma Basa Changed Spotify With a Playlist. YouTube’s Next.," 4 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Listen to the new version—and enjoy some very cute throwback photos in the lyric video—below: This content is imported from YouTube. — Emily Dixon, Marie Claire, "Taylor Swift's Re-Recorded Version of 'Love Story' Features One Major Difference," 12 Feb. 2021 In my country, whose weather blows lyric one way and satire another, the English language is always precise, every mot juste, and anyone can visit who wants to. — Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, "Exile in Florida," 3 Nov. 2020 Audio of the track was released on YouTube and social media channels by Drake’s label, OVO, and by Yung Blue, who put out a lyric video. — al, "Alabama rapper Yung Bleu, superstar Drake release single," 16 Oct. 2020 Included will be music experiences such as lyric discussion, meditations, songwriting and others. — Joan Rusek, cleveland, "Geauga Park District opens mountain bike trail with a scenic view of nature: Valley Views," 5 Oct. 2020 According to the lyric analyzer, this is supposedly a reference to the Lake District, one of the most romantic spots in all of the U.K. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, "The Newest Taylor Swift Song, ‘The Lakes,’ Is Clearly a Love Letter to Joe Alwyn," 7 Aug. 2020 After days of teasing that more music was on the way, the Houston rapper finally dropped a lyric video for a brand new song late last night. — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, "Megan Thee Stallion’s “Girl In The Hood” Just Saved Summer," 26 June 2020 But a lot of those karaoke tracks are mislabeled, often just fan-made lyric videos with the actual song rather than an instrumental. — Tyler Coates, Wired, "How to Throw a Karaoke Party on Zoom," 13 May 2020 Some adorable archival footage projected on a screen shows the boys and Kate attempting to rap onstage while reading from lyric sheets, looking like the dorkiest white teenagers of all time. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "The Beastie Boys Keep It On and On," 24 Apr. 2020

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