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world music
noun
: popular music originating from or influenced by non-Western musical traditions and often having a danceable rhythm
—usually hyphenated when used attributively
Examples of world music in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Goldsmith brought blues, reggae and world music artists to the stage for six years before moving away and venturing into album production, working with such artists as the Blind Boys of Alabama, Charlie Musselwhite and Harper.
—Steve Donofrio, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024
Mendes scored his only Grammy win in 1992 with Brasileiro, which won the 1993 Grammy for best world music album.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 6 Sep. 2024
There's a bunch of different things — ballads, world music.
—Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
Widely considered one of the most influential bands of the late 20th century, Talking Heads defied genre classification, seamlessly blending punk, funk, art rock, and world music.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for world music
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'world music.' 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
1982, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near world music
Cite this Entry
“World music.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/world%20music. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
world music
noun
: popular music based on non-Western musical traditions and often having a danceable rhythm
world-music
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on world music
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about world music
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