ballads

noun

plural of ballad
as in songs
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment a haunting ballad about lost love and loneliness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ballads Its palette is broad, moving from comic to straight rap, from Cab Calloway swing to Beyoncé-style ballads, each idiom chosen for its dramatic purpose. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 Compton and Clark weave a folksy Celtic score, packed with thigh-slapping drinking songs, ethereal ballads and soaring earworms. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 Apparently, at a KATSEYE concert, even the ballads aren’t allowed to stay grounded. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026 Despite murder ballads being a country music tradition, programmers didn’t seem to embrace women doing it so gleefully. — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026 Another common variation is that not all ballads tell a story. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026 But on the piano, laser-beamed into his songcraft, he’s quietly electrified, at seemingly at peace as his tenorous vocal glissando and nimble fingerwork on the piano produce shiveringly tender folk ballads that echo Harry Nilsson and Van Morrison. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026 Local-language pop ballads and American rap music blast from speakers. — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 The film is directed by David Ayer, a purveyor of wild action flicks and ballads of masculinity; the screenplay is the debut effort of Cameron Alexander. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballads
  1. songs
  2. hymns
  3. lyrics
  4. anthems
  5. vocals
Noun
  • The characters seem to represent facets of brakence’s identity, while the songs on marroW blur the line between diegetic worldbuilding and glimpses of his real life.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Everything comes back to that first album, and those early kickass songs.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of songs
Noun
  • At the conclusion of an English-language service interspersed with hymns in Arabic, the priest introduced Salazar, who stood up in the front row, smiling and waving.
    — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The atmosphere feels similar to Pentecostal churches, with the hymns and spiritual declarations very familiar to those sung in other churches.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of hymns
Noun
  • There are also ephemera like posters, budgets, song lyrics, book covers, event flyers and elementary school report cards.
    — Jennifer Rich, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The point is that on Super Bowl Sunday, the NFL is paying Jay-Z to bring his colorful songs and lyrics to his largest audience ever.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of lyrics
Noun
  • There are no fist-pumping anthems, blister-raising leads or Homme’s cool-AF braggadocio at play here.
    — Jason Pettigrew, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Bryan echoing the Truckers is very good news, since their own rambunctious salad days eventually yielded some of this century’s best American anthems.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of anthems
Noun
  • That album, like the Dio Sabbath classics before it, was fine-tuned for metalhead appreciation, thick with crushing riffs and dramatic vocals.
    — Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In addition to lead vocals, Gosling played piano, guitar, synthesizer, percussion, cello and bass on that album.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of vocals

Browse Nearby Words

ballad
ballads
ballast
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Cite this Entry

“Ballads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballads. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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