orchestral

adjective

or·​ches·​tral ȯr-ˈke-strəl How to pronounce orchestral (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or composed for an orchestra
2
: suggestive of an orchestra or its musical qualities
orchestrally adverb

Examples of orchestral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To achieve Ramona’s lush, orchestral sound, Wilson and Cummings enlisted harpist Mary Lattimore, as well as arranger and multi-instrumentalist Drew Erickson, who has played with Weyes Blood, Mitski, and Lana Del Rey. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2024 And [composer Christopher] Lennertz wrote real orchestral music for it. EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024 The Chicago Symphony, arguably the supreme exemplar of American orchestral virtuosity, announced on Tuesday that Mäkelä will become its next music director in 2027, succeeding Riccardo Muti. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024 The program repurposes used guitar and orchestral strings in partnership with recycling company TerraCycle. Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 2 Apr. 2024 Prudencio, Bolivia’s most important living composer, has been making music imbued with that essence since the early 1980s, creating ambitious orchestral pieces for traditional instruments while developing a synthesis of contemporary academic music and native Bolivian sounds. Javier Rodríguez-Camacho, SPIN, 7 Mar. 2024 During the central crisis of Beethoven’s Funeral March, hammering octaves in the bass register, again with the pedal held down, unleash a dissonant boom that is in some ways more unnerving than the corresponding passage in orchestral form. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 Newer to the fold is Blade, whose distinctive, almost orchestral approach to percussion was a big part of the last quartet led by Wayne Shorter, a close friend and great inspiration to Lloyd. Steve Hochman, SPIN, 19 Mar. 2024 On orchestral tracks like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the headphones boost the lower-register instrumentation a bit too much, though this presentation does lend some body and excitement to the otherwise bright delivery. PCMAG, 17 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of orchestral was circa 1779

Dictionary Entries Near orchestral

Cite this Entry

“Orchestral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orchestral. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

orchestral

adjective
or·​ches·​tral ȯr-ˈkes-trəl How to pronounce orchestral (audio)
: of, relating to, or written for an orchestra

More from Merriam-Webster on orchestral

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