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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 lilt
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2025
The home was sprinkled with speakers through which Carter’s voice lilts, playing into eternity.
—Laura Carney, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
Waltzing along the fine line between preciousness and profundity, Brion’s lilting piano theme perfectly echoes the tone of a beguiling romance that — by design — struggles to find a balance in its feelings.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Noun
This region is vast and diverse, with as many variations on our signature lilt as there are preparations of barbecue.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2025
The home was sprinkled with speakers through which Carter’s voice lilts, playing into eternity.
—Laura Carney, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
Platt has assembled key creatives from his own Oscar-winning La La Land including songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who have provided some lively and lilting new tunes.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
Waltzing along the fine line between preciousness and profundity, Brion’s lilting piano theme perfectly echoes the tone of a beguiling romance that — by design — struggles to find a balance in its feelings.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
-
Regional Identity Certain regional accents are seen as particularly warm and approachable.—
Michael Shooster,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
-
With a ridiculous Norwegian accent and affinity for insects, Bjorn accounts for many of the film’s laughs — and later on, becomes essential to the titular scheme.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
While Stapleton crooned, Kidman, 57, could be seen wrapping her hands around the honoree as the pair swayed side to side.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
9 May 2025
-
But imagine the uproar if Fogler wasn’t given a campy song to sing in his laboratory or Wilson wasn’t given a pandering female empowerment anthem to croon in a castle.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
And newer skills have been added, such as security by design to engineering roles, zero-trust architecture to architecture roles and new collaboration tools, cadence, rituals and ceremonies have been introduced across the organization.—
Balmukund Shukla,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
That’s because a transcript doesn’t capture the cadence, inflection and mood of the answers.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
The whole montage was respectful and gracious, with a classical score, rather than a pop chipmunk warbling a sensitive ballad about dead people.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Peggy Seeger’s 1957 recording of it is a brisk, warbling take with arpeggiated acoustic guitar — a classic example of the kind of carefree-songbird tunes from the early folk revival.—
Ben Sisario,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Some researchers have suspected for a while that these rhythms can synchronize with the rhythm of music.—
Eva Amsen,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
-
To listen to him talk is to hear the rhythms of any Sunday morning in a Chicago parish church.—
Edward Keegan,
Chicago Tribune,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
The world’s second-largest economy continues to face a range of challenges, from job insecurity among the younger generation to sharp downturns in the property sector, once a cornerstone of the country’s economic growth.—
Hassan Tayir,
CNN,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The former president's endorsement process has evolved from haphazard to sharp and effective, rendering all other endorsements all but obsolete.—
Kaleigh Rogers,
ABC News,
13 Sep. 2024
Verb
-
Think mountain towns that hum in winter and hibernate in summer (hello, ski resorts turned hiking paradises).—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
-
Because the vagus nerve runs past the vocal cords, there’s some thought that humming could stimulate the vagus nerve (and therefore parasympathetic nervous system), which might offer calming effects, says Gordon-Elliott.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
There’ll probably be some cowbells, and there might be someone trilling in sultry Portuguese or a burst of wordless, stoic alpha-male grunts.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Her soft-focus voice floats over trilling mandolin picking and reserved fiddle.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share