troubadour

noun

Definition of troubadournext
as in bard
a writer and performer of songs or poetry in the Middle Ages

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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 troubadour The 78-year-old troubadour bravely refused to engage in the kind of safe, predictable, by-the-numbers show that — apart from Bob Dylan and Paul Simon — too many of his baby-boomer peers are content to dole out night after night to nostalgia-craving audiences. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026 That this arrives at the end of an album about the trials and glories inherent to the work of troubadours, a tale of highway butterflies surviving in the place that let them, of love that didn’t die young, is just right. — Jenn Pelly, Pitchfork, 23 Apr. 2026 Perhaps the international biennial is not doomed to fade away like the art of the medieval troubadour or the magic-lantern show. — Daniel Birnbaum, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026 Justin Townes Earle may have traveled the world as an Americana troubadour, but the story of the singer-songwriter’s life can be told in just a few square miles in his native Nashville. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for troubadour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troubadour
  1. bard
  2. singer
  3. songster
  4. vocalist
Noun
  • Nolan sets the tone by opening with a bard (Travis Scott) beginning to tell the tale of the fall of Troy—at least the idealized heroic version that the bard’s audiences are hungry to hear.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026
  • On Thursday, in a more relaxed setting, Payton became a bard, rattling off tales that will no doubt have a place in next week’s tribute for Brees.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 30 July 2026
Definition of bard
Noun
  • Other commissions include a monument to honor Native voices, a sculpture of gospel singer and Civil Rights activist Mahalia Jackson, and a site to recognize the survivors who were tortured by the Chicago Police Department during the 1970s-1990s.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In addition, Bridgers has served as a producer for various artists, such as folk country singer Christian Lee Hutson.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of singer
Noun
  • How absurd, indeed, to imagine wild birds giving time like the mechanical songsters on an ornamental clock.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Musicians including psych rocker Damon Krukowski and power pop songster Ted Leo have taken to X to blast out their support.
    — Caitlin Harrington, WIRED, 6 Oct. 2023
Definition of songster
Noun
  • Like its video, the song is a misdirect, its melancholic tone undercut by the swagger of its vocalist.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Lead vocalist Maurice began his career as a drummer and session musician, working with artists like Etta James and the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
    — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of vocalist

Browse Nearby Words

trotting out
troubadour
troubadours
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Cite this Entry

“Troubadour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troubadour. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on troubadour

Nglish: Translation of troubadour for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about troubadour

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