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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 Then there’s the entertainment team including a pair of dancers who tackle everything from the tango to bachata, a singer who goes for Alicia Keys-style ballads, a jazzy vocalist, and a piano player. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026 By 2017, Cyrus was covering her tattoos with makeup, wearing all white, and singing ballads of marital devotion. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 What comes in between includes a surprising number of love ballads and a few odd outliers. — Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 Drizzy teased nearly ten new records and mixes in the film, ranging from acoustic ballads to island bops, New Orleans bounce tracks, and another rager with Yeat. — Armon Sadler, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026 The nineteenth century saw authors in other countries (Germany, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Norway) attempting to firm up their nationalist claims by ransacking popular ballads, rustic legends, and oral traditions. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 Robin Hood, the ballads all postdate the Peasants’ Revolt and were wildly popular and continued to resonate and echo down. — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026 As a result, the concert featured no acoustic sets, no power ballads, no reason for anybody to sit down. — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The soft, soothing sounds of Anne Murray and the over-the-top, emotional ballads of Barbra Streisand had filled our living room and shaped my understanding of female singers. — Lisa Whittington-Hill, Longreads, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballads
  1. songs
  2. hymns
  3. lyrics
  4. anthems
  5. vocals
Noun
  • The songs were a dangerous dance with gender, sexuality, and race.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • For how long depends on both how much the songs connect, and how motivated Team Swift is to continue to promote and sell the hell out of them.
    — Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of songs
Noun
  • In the southernmost car, dozens press together and sway in their prayer shawls to the hymns of the morning service.
    — Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hymns
Noun
  • From lyrics of songs on the 2025 album Guardians of the Threshold, a collaboration by the Israeli rappers the Shadow and Subliminal.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Lena Dunham is adapting the musical’s book with Jessica Huang, while Jepsen is writing the music and lyrics with Ethan Gruska, whose credits include Ryan Beatty, Fiona Apple and Phoebe Bridgers.
    — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of lyrics
Noun
  • The welcome ceremony also included a flyover by two B-1 bombers, platoons from each military service, and a presentation of the flags and anthems of both countries.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The welcome ceremony was also set to include a flyover by two B-1 bombers, flower presenters, platoons from each military service, and a presentation of the flags and anthems of both countries.
    — Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of anthems
Noun
  • What’s dividing fans is Julian Casablancas’ insistence on using Autotune, as many prefer his raw vocals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • After leading the Rain Parade, Roback started Opal with Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith, which became Mazzy Star when Sandoval replaced Smith on vocals.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2026.

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