lyric

[ lir-ik ]

/ ˈlɪr ɪk /

adjective Also lyr·i·cal.

(of poetry) having the form and musical quality of a song, and especially the character of a songlike outpouring of the poet's own thoughts and feelings, as distinguished from epic and dramatic poetry.

pertaining to or writing lyric poetry: a lyric poet.

characterized by or expressing spontaneous, direct feeling: a lyric song; lyric writing.

pertaining to, rendered by, or employing singing.

(of a voice) relatively light of volume and modest in range: a lyric soprano.

pertaining, adapted, or sung to the lyre, or composing poems to be sung to the lyre: ancient Greek lyric odes.

noun

a lyric poem.

Often lyrics. the words of a song.

Origin of lyric

1575–85; < Latin lyricus < Greek lyrikós. See lyre, -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM lyric

lyr·i·cal·ly, adverb lyr·i·cal·ness, noun non·lyr·ic, adjective non·lyr·i·cal, adjective

non·lyr·i·cal·ly, adverb non·lyr·i·cal·ness, noun sem·i·lyr·ic, adjective sem·i·lyr·i·cal, adjective sem·i·lyr·i·cal·ly, adverb un·lyr·ic, adjective un·lyr·i·cal, adjective un·lyr·i·cal·ly, adverb un·lyr·i·cal·ness, noun

Words nearby lyric

lyre, lyre back, lyre snake, lyre-form sofa, lyrebird, lyric, lyrical, lyricism, lyricist, lyricize, lyrids

Example sentences from the Web for lyric

Is there any better Beyoncé lyric to use in response to the most shocking celebrity tape this side of One Night in Paris?

Yoncé Said Knock You Out: The Solange and Jay Z Story |Kevin O’Keeffe |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
George would take out his lyric book and acoustic guitar and play us the song we would be working on that day.

When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More |Gary Wright |September 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Ever the showman, he asks if he can play the tape forward, sing the lyric once, play that “backmasked stuff,” then sing that.

The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial |Ivan Solotaroff |June 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Tragic, lyric, ironic, dramatic, realistic, surrealistic—a sure winner.

This 1979 Novel Predicted Putin’s Invasion Of Crimea |Michael Weiss |May 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Lyric writing has to exist in time … Therefore it must be crystal clear as it goes on.

Sondheim on Sondheim: American Musical Theater in Six Songs |Jimmy So |December 9, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The wind of Victor Hugo, however, is chiefly of the lyric kind.

Victor Hugo: His Life and Works |G. Barnett Smith
Both branches of the Lyric Club, in fact, came suddenly to grief, owing to a great misfortune which it is better not to recall.

Forty Years of 'Spy' |Leslie Ward
This lyric and the following are printed from the author's MSS.

The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume V. |Various
And his voice—his voice pleaded against her prejudice with all its lyric modulations.

The Divine Fire |May Sinclair
Their comparisons were monotonous, and their scenes bare, stereotyped arabesques, not woven into the tissue of lyric feeling.

The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times |Alfred Biese

British Dictionary definitions for lyric

lyric

/ (ˈlɪrɪk) /

adjective

(of poetry)

expressing the writer's personal feelings and thoughts
having the form and manner of a song

of or relating to such poetry

(of music) having songlike qualities

(of a singing voice) having a light quality and tone

intended for singing, esp (in classical Greece) to the accompaniment of the lyre

noun

a short poem of songlike quality

(plural) the words of a popular song

Also (for senses 1–4): lyrical

Derived forms of lyric

lyrically, adverb lyricalness, noun

Word Origin for lyric

C16: from Latin lyricus, from Greek lurikos, from lura lyre

Cultural definitions for lyric

lyric

A kind of poetry, generally short, characterized by a musical use of language. Lyric poetry often involves the expression of intense personal emotion. The elegy, the ode, and the sonnet are forms of the lyric poem.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

lyric

adjective Also lyr·i·cal.

noun

Origin of lyric

OTHER WORDS FROM lyric

Words nearby lyric

Example sentences from the Web for lyric

British Dictionary definitions for lyric

adjective

noun

Derived forms of lyric

Word Origin for lyric

Cultural definitions for lyric

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

lyric

adjective Also lyr·i·cal.

noun

Origin of lyric

OTHER WORDS FROM lyric

Words nearby lyric

Words related to lyric

Example sentences from the Web for lyric

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for lyric

adjective

noun

Derived forms of lyric

Word Origin for lyric

Cultural definitions for lyric

British Dictionary definitions for lyric