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
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
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
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
The lilt substitutes for a question, a can-I-help-you, which, in my opinion, would be too subservient.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
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
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
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Now look at who else was rising in those same crowded decades, every one of them in a unique style, every one of them carrying an old country’s accent into the new one.
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With curved teardrop shapes, floral accents, and leaf motifs, its design works especially well for the spring and summer seasons, though its abstract, ornamental pattern can be displayed during cooler months as well.
Verb
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The minute-long clip, shared on June 10, shows Langley crooning the late '90s ballad while accompanying herself on piano.
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The camera pans to Cody crooning while strumming his guitar throughout the video.
Noun
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This can be especially true of hourly workers, who may depend on seasonal or variable income that doesn't come in on a consistent cadence.
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Most participants stuck with it, especially at the hourly cadence, which the paper identifies as the sweet spot between effort and effect.
Verb
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Her distinctive voice has been Widowspeak’s emblem since the band first emerged, warbled like Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval over CB radio.
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The track begins with Winter’s distinct vocals warbling and wobbling over a tender percussion groove.
Noun
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Compare receipts to your plan, then adjust a subscription or daily expense so the numbers match the rhythm of your life.
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Germany's head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, gave Ecuador its deserved praise for the win today, saying his own team failed to find its rhythm in the second half.
Verb
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Wow is the jawline in profile: that transcendent shift from saggy to sharp, obtuse to acute.
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In the fall, the workers trade in their pruning shears for knives sharp enough to skin a deer in minutes.
Verb
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On the exhibition floor at the annual international BIO conference in San Diego, biotech and startup executives hummed around pavilions representing member countries and states, pausing to watch World Cup games on a giant screen at a South Korean contract drug manufacturer’s booth.
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Fans latched on too, humming the tune, playing the video — of players and supporters soaking up the scene — on repeat ever since.
Verb
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Musselwhite punctuated the music with his harmonica trills and moans while his right knee bounced in time with the rhythms.
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Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm Campground This trail almost entirely follows the coast for 7 miles, with a soundtrack of lapping waves, trilling loons, and the occasional outboard motor.
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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