lyric

noun

Save Word

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

Keep scrolling for more

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 And that first lyric may as well describe the track that has fans showing the British musician love on social media. — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "Ed Sheeran drops 'Christmas present' song 'Afterglow,' fans cheer: 'Just what we needed'," 22 Dec. 2020 One fan also believes that this lyric refers to Selena's relationship with Justin Bieber, which Selena has stated was toxic in many ways. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "So We Can All Agree That Taylor Swift's "Dorothea" is About Selena Gomez, Right?," 11 Dec. 2020 Does any lyric better capture our feelings about this year? — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The 63 Best Songs of 2020 That Made Our Lives a Little Easier," 17 Dec. 2020 In Iran, the celebration might include reading poems by the lyric poet Hafez, plus endless cups of tea or sweet sharbat. — Jen Rose Smith, CNN, "25 fun things to do this winter," 19 Nov. 2020 Odes and sonnets, lyric and epic poetry stood ignored, striking attitudes and gesticulating impotently. — Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, "The Old Man in the Piazza," 16 Nov. 2020 Freakwents is promoting the project with merch packages that include the music, handmade bolo ties, lyric booklets and t-shirts designed by local artists. — Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, "Cleveland art-pop band Freakwents releases debut EP," 23 Oct. 2020 Good-guy Stevie’s ambiguous love lyric is superficially in sync with Biden’s tentative nostrum. — Armond White, National Review, "Stevie Wonder’s Wrong Song," 25 Nov. 2020 By the mid-sixties, writing about one’s marital problems or one’s struggles with mental illness—formerly taboo subjects for lyric poetry—was accepted and even acclaimed. — Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, "The Long Awakening of Adrienne Rich," 23 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective 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 In high school, his favorite band was Radiohead, whose lyric sheets resemble postmodern collages. — Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, "Pinegrove Stages a Complicated Comeback," 13 Jan. 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.