as in accent
the attractive quality of speech or music that rises and falls in a pleasing pattern
There was a charming lilt to her voice. a tune with a lilt
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Recent Examples of lilt
Liam Hess, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
Being the naive newbie in Idaho does suit Cale, with his British lilt and fey enthusiasm for the manliness of the West.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Noun
As the song unfolds, their voices begin to braid together like twin strands of ivy—a Scottish lilt and a Montana twang—creeping across a hard stone wall of fuzzy grunge guitars.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
Being the naive newbie in Idaho does suit Cale, with his British lilt and fey enthusiasm for the manliness of the West.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
The album is a triumphant release that balances anger and grief and, at times, surprising joy, with Estrada’s bright, lilting soprano piercing through the veil of her pain.
—Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
-
The mix of guests here varies between GCC countries and vacationing Europeans, depending on the season, with a smattering of American accents and global executives year-round.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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Designed in dreamy pinks (walls included) with bold color accents and breezy, indoor-outdoor living, the space keeps things fun without sacrificing comfort.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The camera pans to Cody crooning while strumming his guitar throughout the video.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
Nat King Cole crooned about its kicks in a 1946 hit song.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Images must be taken at a high cadence, at least every few minutes or so, to spot the telltale tweak to a star’s brightness as it’s microlensed by a relatively small PBH.—
Jonathan O'Callaghan,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
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Machine learning algorithms trained on historical transaction data can help identify outliers in dosage frequency, refill cadence, or quantity distribution.—
Ethan Stone
June 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The track begins with Winter’s distinct vocals warbling and wobbling over a tender percussion groove.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 July 2025
-
The famous John Williams fanfare that blasted Star Wars onto our screens had appreciably less impact than even a standard screen would now offer, let alone IMAX and Dolby Cinema premium offerings while at some parts of the film, the sound warbled a little, before returning to normal.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
While Duran Ferree and CJ dos Santos both have arguments for minutes, the back line would benefit from rhythm and certainty.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In the fall, the workers trade in their pruning shears for knives sharp enough to skin a deer in minutes.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
28 Nov. 2025
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Today there’s a rich universe of supplemental Pynchon material ranging from prose only an English PhD could unpack, to sharp analysis that makes the experience of reading Pynchon communal and fun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There’s a small, warm body of evidence that some of the most therapeutic sounds on earth may already be napping on your couch, singing outside your window and humming in your backyard.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
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Michelle Williams On a cool spring morning at Booker Vineyard in Paso Robles, California, a drone hums low over the Syrah block.—
Michelle Williams,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Femme tunes trilled in the background.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
-
About 40 minutes away, real birds melodiously chirped and trilled outside its sister hotel, Es Figueral Nou, an 18th-century finca and former fig plantation set among vast agricultural fields.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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