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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Recent Examples of ballads
Whether leading her trio through sultry ballads or high-energy swing numbers, Riketté always delivers a performance that’s both nostalgic and fresh.
—
Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
In the early days of my career, there were a lot of ballads in my repertoire and the audience was mainly seated at my shows.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
Whistling Pie is a homemade album of acoustic ballads, inspired by his hero, the late British folk guitarist Bert Jansch.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
This is Lovato’s triumphant homecoming to her pop roots; her last two albums, Revamped and Holy Fvck, were rock-heavy, with the former even reimagining her pop hits as rock ballads.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Her endlessly inventive vocal approach and aching tenderness with ballads earned her a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master designation in 2012.
—Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Performed from a third-person perspective, the perspective of the blues, Nourished by Time spins an old-fashioned yarn about a man working a restaurant job and writing ballads at night.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2025
The king of romantic ballads made a killing buying and selling property in Indian Creek Village, aka Billionaire Bunker.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
With a pair of catwalks jutting from the oval stage, the guys roam into the crowd, all while hitting their dance moves, and blending their upbeat pop anthems with the sappier ballads that made them into a heartthrob collective.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
In the early days of my career, there were a lot of ballads in my repertoire and the audience was mainly seated at my shows.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
Whistling Pie is a homemade album of acoustic ballads, inspired by his hero, the late British folk guitarist Bert Jansch.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
This is Lovato’s triumphant homecoming to her pop roots; her last two albums, Revamped and Holy Fvck, were rock-heavy, with the former even reimagining her pop hits as rock ballads.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Her endlessly inventive vocal approach and aching tenderness with ballads earned her a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master designation in 2012.
—Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Performed from a third-person perspective, the perspective of the blues, Nourished by Time spins an old-fashioned yarn about a man working a restaurant job and writing ballads at night.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2025
The king of romantic ballads made a killing buying and selling property in Indian Creek Village, aka Billionaire Bunker.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
With a pair of catwalks jutting from the oval stage, the guys roam into the crowd, all while hitting their dance moves, and blending their upbeat pop anthems with the sappier ballads that made them into a heartthrob collective.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballads
Noun
-
So, now going to the club with records playing, playing for kids that were not alive when some of these songs came out and watching a really great young DJ like Cosmo play this music from the same era with her own slant on it.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Henry decided to pursue music instead of film, with his songs appearing on the soundtracks of his mom’s movies, including Julie and Julia and Ricki and the Flash.—
Francesca Gariano,
People.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The songs themselves drew inspiration from real Shaker hymns from the 1700s.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
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The group sang Christian religious hymns accompanied by a wailing violin, cello and an acoustic guitar.—
Laura Gersony,
AZCentral.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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The lyrics reference the anthem of the antifascist Italian resistance during World War II.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Italian brainrot anthems infest Spotify Viral 50 charts across the world, from Denmark to Sweden to Peru to the Czech Republic.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
10 Sep. 2025
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There is a stiff-upper-lip-ness to their personal and stage personas that gives at least the appearance of an edge to the anthems.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With the band confirming Lingberg had already finished recording vocals for their new record, the next At The Gates LP will be a posthumous release for the legendary metal vocalist.—
Quentin Thane Singer,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Aimer’s vocals resonate with the story of the Infinity Castle movie, filling the song with strength, determination, and vulnerability.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballads. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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