soprano

1 of 2

adjective

so·​pra·​no sə-ˈpra-(ˌ)nō  -ˈprä- 

: relating to or having the range or part of a soprano

soprano

2 of 2

noun

plural sopranos

1

: the highest singing voice of women or boys and formerly of castrati

also : a person having this voice

2

: the highest voice part in a 4-part chorus

3

: a member of a family of instruments having the highest range

Examples of soprano in a Sentence

Noun

She sings in a high soprano.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But Indianapolis audiences saw the soprano in the role first. —Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

Rebirth in this thrillingly massive symphony for a massive orchestra and chorus, along with soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists, was writ exceedingly large, transparent and loud. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025

Puerto Rican opera soprano Larisa Martínez sang, Cuban-American Richard Blanco, the fifth inaugural poet of the United States, shared a poem, and Sotheby’s led an auction of more than 25 artworks from preeminent Latin American and Latinx artists and world-leading galleries. —Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

Baritone Michael Kelly takes on the title role for his company debut, and the other important roles are filled by tenor Christopher Oglesby as Dan White, tenor Henry Benson as Scott Smith, bass Matt Boehler as George Moscone and soprano Marnie Breckenridge as Dianne Feinstein. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 29 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Italian, adjective & noun, from sopra above, from Latin supra — more at supra-

First Known Use

Adjective

1730, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1738, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing soprano

• mezzo-soprano

Rhymes for soprano

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

Kids Definition

soprano

1 of 2 adjective

so·​pra·​no sə-ˈpran-ō  -ˈprän- 

1

: relating to the soprano voice or part

2

: having a high range

soprano sax

soprano

2 of 2 noun

plural sopranos

1

: the highest voice part in harmony for four parts with men's and women's voices compare alto sense 1b, bass entry 2 sense 1a, tenor sense 2a

2

: the highest singing voice of women or boys

also : a person with this voice

Etymology

Adjective

from Italian soprano "relating to a soprano or soprano part," from sopra "above," from Latin supra "above"