opera

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Synonyms of opera next

plural of opus

opera

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noun

op·era ˈä-p(ə-)rə

Southern also ˈä-prē

: a drama set to music and made up of vocal pieces with orchestral accompaniment and orchestral overtures (see overture entry 1 sense 2) and interludes (see interlude sense 2)

specifically : grand opera

Beethoven composed only one opera.

: the score (see score entry 1 sense 6) of a musical drama

The composer finished the opera in just six weeks.

: the performance of an opera

The opera was delayed a half hour due to technical difficulties.

also : a house where operas are performed

We'll meet you at the opera at 7 p.m.

Examples of opera in a Sentence

Noun I am going to an opera tonight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An opera based on the book, with music by Jake Heggie and lyrics by Terrence McNally, had its première at the San Francisco Opera in 2000, and has since had more than seventy productions in the U.S. and around the world, including, in 2002, at the New York City Opera. —

Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2023 To learn more about the out-of-this-world show, check out our article on the interstellar chamber opera. —

Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023 Many of America’s top opera singers were winners of the contest, which marks its 70th anniversary next year. —

Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2023 The trek comes following the release of the band’s 33-track rock opera album, ATUM, in the spring. —

Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2023 Leslie sang in a movie Like her famous sister, Leslie has also appeared on the big screen: The teacher was credited as an opera singer in the 2021 film, The Man in the Attic. —

Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2023 Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready is transforming the tragedies and triumphs of the Seattle grunge scene into a new rock opera, the guitarist told Guitar World magazine. —

Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2023 So there’s no point in having an opera in your house. —

Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023 The man has a rocket launcher for a leg and golden pipes for opera singing. —

Daniel Kohn, Spin, 6 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opera.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Italian, "work, labor, artistic production, drama set to music (originally short for opera musicale, opera in musica)," going back to Latin, "activity, effort, attention, work," collective derivative from oper-, opus "work, effort, product of labor" — more at opus

First Known Use

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of opera was in 1848

See more words from the same year