lyric 1 of 2

noun

ˈlir-ik How to pronounce lyric (audio)
Definition of lyricnext
1
as in poem
a composition using rhythm and often rhyme to create a lyrical effect would you care to read your short lyric aloud?

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2
as in ballad
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment the guitarist sang a gentle lyric while playing

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lyric

2 of 2

adjective

1
as in lyrical
having a pleasantly flowing quality suggestive of music they performed a slow, lyric dance for the audience

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poetic
having qualities suggestive of poetry the film's lyric photography really enhanced its romantic mood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 lyric
Noun
Last fall, Lovato quoted the lyrics to one of her iconic songs in the caption of an Instagram post. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 19 Aug. 2026 Per Playbill, The Festival showcased the new musical Love Somebody, with a book by Rehana Lew Mirza and Mike Lew, featuring music and lyrics by Betty. — Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Adjective
In the Nightbird studio, lyric sheets are distributed for seven songs selected for tonight’s HADES preview, and now Melanie steps into the doorway to welcome us to her new world. — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 13 July 2026 The song was paired with a lyric video that reuses two-decade-old footage shot by collaborator Cliff Watts, who also photographed Beyoncé’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for lyric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lyric
  1. poem
  2. ballad
  3. lyrical
  4. poetic
  5. song
  6. hymn
  7. melodic
  8. poetical
Noun
  • With Nolan and Emma Thomas producing for Syncopy, The Odyssey adapts Homer’s epic poem in telling the story of Odysseus (Damon) making his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Even worse, Juliet has a three-page invitation poem about leaving all of their baggage and drama behind and meeting them in the castle.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • Violin player Nina de Vitry provided an especially tasteful complement on this ballad, making one fiddle sound like a whole string section.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The ballad shot to the top of the charts in Britain and the United States and has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017, 2024 and most recently during last week’s solar eclipse.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of ballad
Adjective
  • The man was a rock and roll sound smith and a lyrical sorcerer.
    — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The music on the new record is vivid in its storytelling and unapologetically emotional, lyrical and expressive.
    — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of lyrical
Adjective
  • Fried practices art history and criticism as a poetic, almost magical endeavor.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The film’s poetic structure broaches such thorny topics without rushing toward easy resolution.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of poetic
Noun
  • Watermarks would indicate that the rights to a song were owned by a particular music label or that the rights to a movie were held by a film studio.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Cameras have spotted Kaydee and Shadow singing morning songs and flying around together since the death of Shadow’s former partner, Jackie.
    — Annie Colbert, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of song
Noun
  • Little Haiti looks ahead On a humid morning in Little Haiti, about a dozen people walked into Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church for Mass, taking Communion and singing hymns in French.
    — Chris Kenning, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The rugby union side’s is ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’, originally an African-American hymn sung by slaves in the United States in the mid-19th century.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of hymn
Adjective
  • Over the course of about a half hour on stage, Shonen Knife fed their Ramones like punk sensibility through a Beach Boys lens, producing a unique brand of jangly, melodic, hooky punk rock complete with gorgeous live harmonies.
    — Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Angels is relentless, melodic, and aggressive—Pocket Pet and Achilles are standouts—a darkly feverish run of glitchy and tense soundscapes.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of melodic
Adjective
  • There are ones who are more ideological, others more poetical.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Svelte yet heavy, Clipse’s latest sees all their phonetic and poetical gifts rendered to subtly maximal effect, with their lithe vocals cresting Pharrell’s glossy surfaces like snowfall.
    — Peter A. Berry, Variety, 11 July 2025
Definition of poetical

Browse Nearby Words

lynx-eyed
lyric
lyrical
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Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Lyric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lyric. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lyric

Nglish: Translation of lyric for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lyric

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