as in songs
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
a haunting ballad about lost love and loneliness
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Recent Examples of ballads
Much of the music and lyrics are drawn from Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages, and weave elements of his family's story into ballads, Celtic folk music and classical recordings that his mother collected.
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 June 2026
His ballads of rainy English angst went over big in the land of sun and surf.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Many argue that true crime originated in folk murder ballads, popularized in the 1500s.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 June 2026
As Molloy gradually succeeds in puncturing Lestat’s aloof, arrogant outer shell, his sound correspondingly shifts from assaultive punk to more contemplative ballads.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 7 June 2026
As academics will tell you, people have been writing ballads inspired by real-life criminal activity ever since the Renaissance.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
The entertainment could be a little racier than being serenaded by a trio singing Greek power ballads at dinnertime.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
His expansive sonic palette includes soaring anthems, tender ballads, and hard-driving dance tracks with a focus on thumping bass and earworm melodies.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2026
Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 June 2026
His ballads of rainy English angst went over big in the land of sun and surf.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Many argue that true crime originated in folk murder ballads, popularized in the 1500s.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 June 2026
As Molloy gradually succeeds in puncturing Lestat’s aloof, arrogant outer shell, his sound correspondingly shifts from assaultive punk to more contemplative ballads.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 7 June 2026
As academics will tell you, people have been writing ballads inspired by real-life criminal activity ever since the Renaissance.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
The entertainment could be a little racier than being serenaded by a trio singing Greek power ballads at dinnertime.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
His expansive sonic palette includes soaring anthems, tender ballads, and hard-driving dance tracks with a focus on thumping bass and earworm melodies.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballads
Noun
-
The show is still using some of those songs, giving the score’s relationship to the script a half-in, half-out near-jukebox feeling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
-
Maya, like Bassichis, did an act that was a bit standup, a bit performance art, broken up by dreamy, oddball songs.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The album features mountain songs, ballads and folk hymns that celebrate traditional American music.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
4 June 2026
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The service of hymns and prayer will be followed by a memorial roll call of members of the armed services who died in active duty.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
Noun
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The album teams with moments like this, bits where the music might evoke a modern homespun permutation of greats like Daryl Hall and John Oates or even Prince, and the lyrics add new wrinkles to classic pop heartbreak.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2026
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Over the years, his lyrics haven’t changed much, but the perspective has shifted from observant kid caught in the mix to pushing-30 vet cutting memory tracks on the days when life was a lot simpler.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
Noun
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People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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The performance will be followed by a selection of anthems.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Despite us having just seen the episode where Reid performed this exact song, his vocals felt like they were shot out of a cannon — Reid has an unexpected control and expressiveness to his live singing voice that emphasizes the already theatrical lyrics and melody.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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Casting child star vocal talents to bring his line drawings to life for the characters surrounding Charlie Brown (and his endless dilemmas of life story plots) wasn’t an easy feat for Schulz, since, after all, children grow up, and their vocals mature.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ballads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballads. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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