mezzo-soprano

noun

mez·​zo-so·​pra·​no ˌmet-(ˌ)sō-sə-ˈpra-(ˌ)nō 

-ˈprä-, 

ˌmed-(ˌ)zō-

: a woman's voice with a range between soprano and contralto

also : a singer having this voice

Examples of mezzo-soprano in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Making company debuts are soprano Madison Leonard as Gilda, Argentinian-American tenor José Simerilla Romero as the Duke, bass Peixin Chen as paid assassin Sparafucile and Tijuana-based mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Paz as Sparafucile’s sister, Maddalena. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026

The mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves directed the show with an eye toward brilliance of color and vigor of movement; Viviana Goodwin and Justin Austin led a spirited cast, with Kedrick Armstrong conducting and Damien Sneed handling the arrangements. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2026

The original vocals of Pulcinella are played in this version by instruments while Brujo features mezzo-soprano Carla Lopez-Speziale. —Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026

Her music career, as arguably the world’s most distinctive mezzo-soprano, ranges across 37 studio albums and 13 movie soundtracks, with 10 Grammy awards and number one albums in six consecutive decades. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian mezzosoprano, from mezzo + soprano soprano

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mezzo-soprano

• americano
• castellano
• cebuano
• mexicano
• chicano
• hispano
• serrano
• solano
• soprano
• llano
• mano

Kids Definition

mezzo-soprano

noun

mez·​zo-so·​pra·​no

ˌmet-sō-sə-ˈpran-ō, 

ˌmed-zō-, 

-ˈprän-

: a woman's voice between that of the soprano and contralto

also : a singer having such a voice