falsetto
Americannoun
-
an unnaturally or artificially high-pitched voice or register, especially in a man.
-
a person, especially a man, who sings with such a voice.
adjective
adverb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of falsetto
1765–75; < Italian, equivalent to fals ( o ) (< Latin falsus false ) + -etto -et
Explanation
Falsetto is a male singing voice that's unusually high. It's a voice so high it sounds false. A guy singing a mean falsetto could break a wine glass! Falsetto is a musical term for a male voice that's artificially high. Falsetto means “artificial voice” and comes from the Italian word falso for “false.” When men suddenly sing way up high above their speaking voices, it can sound almost fake. This word can also be used as an adjective — you could say he's a falsetto singer or a certain part should be sung with a falsetto voice. When you see the word falsetto, think "high voice."
Vocabulary lists containing falsetto
The Catcher in the Rye
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Music - Middle School
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The Sea of Monsters
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I like to follow nature’s lead,” says Maari Falsetto, founder of Inner Alchemy, Treasures and Transformation in West Seattle.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2022
The codeword for authorising a national warning was, oddly, "Falsetto".
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2016
This canny mix — the Falsetto Meets the Sopranos — guaranteed a bridge-and-tunnel stream of Garden Staters ready to sing along to some of the most infectious and enduring pop of the ’60s .
From Time • Jun. 18, 2014
Let’s take the example of ‘The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre’, currently appearing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their show ‘In Space‘.
From Forbes • Aug. 5, 2013
Falsetto is a light, high, head voice that is not pushed, yelled, or forced in any way.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
