troubadour

noun

trou·​ba·​dour ˈtrü-bə-ˌdȯr 

-ˌdu̇r

1

: one of a class of lyric poets often of knightly rank who flourished from the 11th to the 13th century in France and Italy and whose major theme was courtly love compare trouvère

2

: a singer especially of folk songs

Did you know?

In the Middle Ages, troubadours were the shining knights of poetry (in fact, some were ranked as high as knights in the feudal class structure). Troubadours made chivalry a high art, writing poems and singing about chivalrous love, creating the mystique of refined damsels, and glorifying the gallant knight on his charger. Troubadour was a fitting name for such creative artists: it derives from an Old Occitan word meaning "to compose." In modern contexts, troubadour still refers to the song-meisters of the Middle Ages, but it has been extended to cover contemporary poet-musicians as well.

Examples of troubadour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This one resembles the winsome, acoustic Sea Change (2002) and Morning Phase (2014), dressing the shape-shifting troubadour’s reflective vocals in windswept orchestral-folk adornment. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026

Known for his gruff vocals, LaMontagne first came to the scene in the early aughts as a timid troubadour. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

In this way, Matt Johnson’s Tony is a fitting tribute to the troubadour chef, whose own legend has only grown since his death by suicide in 2018. — Mike Miller, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026

The cast features not just the creator, who makes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype her own as ukulele troubadour Lulu, but also a pre-Bridgerton Jonathan Bailey in the wild role of an inveterate womanizer. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old Occitan trobador, from trobar to compose, from Vulgar Latin *tropare, from Latin tropus trope

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for troubadour

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore

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Kids Definition

troubadour

noun

trou·​ba·​dour ˈtrü-bə-ˌdō(ə)r 

-ˌdȯ(ə)r, 

-ˌdu̇(ə)r

: a poet-musician of the Middle Ages in France and Italy