melody

noun

mel·​o·​dy ˈme-lə-dē 

plural melodies

1

: a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds

… whilst all the winds with melody are ringing.

—Percy Bysshe Shelley

2

: a rhythmic succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole

a hummable melody

the piper's fingers play the melody on a pipe called a chanter

—Pat Cahill

melodic

mə-ˈlä-dik 

adjective

melodically

mə-ˈlä-di-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of melody

• song
• tune

Examples of melody in a Sentence

He wrote a piece that includes some beautiful melodies.

a composer known for his love of melody

He sang a few old melodies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Can play every instrument, can mix, can produce, write every word, write every melody. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2026

The band’s sound—grounded in the driving, elaborate guitar interplay between Verlaine and Lloyd—was a sharp detour from their contemporaries’ three-chord melodies. — Alex Suskind, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2026

This is a musical in a very mainstream pop mode of supple but almost juvenile high voices singing banal lyrics to catchy melodies with rather bombastic production. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026

My Beloved‘s songs are mostly mid-tempo and melody-forward, with an acoustic underpinning and careful nuances enhanced with strings, keyboards and hand percussion. — Gary Graff, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English melodie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin melodia, from Greek melōidia chanting, music, from melos limb, musical phrase, song (probably akin to Breton mell joint) + aeidein to sing — more at ode

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

melody

noun

mel·​o·​dy ˈmel-əd-ē 

plural melodies

1

: a pleasing succession of sounds

2

: a series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect

3

: the leading part in a musical composition involving harmony