1
as in melodic
having a pleasantly flowing quality suggestive of music
the lyrical cadences of voice-over narration give the film a very poignant quality
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poetic
having qualities suggestive of poetry
the photographer achieves a very lyrical effect with her intentionally blurred images of flowers growing in the wild
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Recent Examples of lyrical
This lyrical collection from B Batchelor—a 2025 Haymarket Writing Freedom Fellow, and a recipient of multiple awards from PEN America—explores the way incarceration distorts time.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
The trio invites fans to display their emotions, since many of their songs’ lyrical content is centered on loving a significant other or loving each other.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
To explain the discrepancy, Deputy District Attorney Arshpal Singh argued that Fiapoto was simply showcasing his lyrical talent.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
This film is at once lyrical and political, touching and authentic, heart-breaking and heart-warming, while also being infused with joy and humor.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lyrical
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
The trio invites fans to display their emotions, since many of their songs’ lyrical content is centered on loving a significant other or loving each other.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
To explain the discrepancy, Deputy District Attorney Arshpal Singh argued that Fiapoto was simply showcasing his lyrical talent.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
This film is at once lyrical and political, touching and authentic, heart-breaking and heart-warming, while also being infused with joy and humor.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lyrical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lyrical
Adjective
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On the basketball court, Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler has carved a 14-year career by gliding through space with the melodic flow of an orchestra.—
Rachel Davies,
Architectural Digest,
12 June 2026
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There has never quite been a critical or scholarly consensus about them, but Bellini, whose music is suspended somewhere between Rossini’s precise brilliance and Donizetti’s rhetorical force, can move audiences with his melodic facility.—
Arya Roshanian,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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From the poetic paintings, sculptures, photographs, and videos in Rashid Johnson’s Guggenheim survey to Larry Bell’s colorful new glass cubes alighting in Madison Square Park, recent presentations gave us hope for the future.—
Julie Belcove,
Robb Report,
16 June 2026
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So her first son killing the second son is also kind of poetic in that way.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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And Jazz, with its swinging structure and lyric language, feels especially suited for the dramatic treatment.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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Unlike the rich, powerful qualities of a dramatic soprano, or the warm, singing tone of a lyric soprano, the coloratura soprano possesses a high range (to the second C above middle C and higher) and extreme agility.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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There are ones who are more ideological, others more poetical.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Jan. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Lyrical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lyrical. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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