noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of musician
1350–1400; Middle English musicien < Middle French. See music, -ian
Explanation
Anyone who plays music can be called a musician. Whether you're playing the cello on stage at Carnegie Hall or playing the harmonica on a subway platform, you're a musician. While this word is most often used to mean a professional instrumentalist, it can also refer to someone who writes or sings music, and even your brother's friend who occasionally plays the drums in a Led Zeppelin cover band. Musician originally meant "one skilled in music," from the Latin musica, "the art of music and poetry," which has a Greek root, mousike, "art of the Muses."
Vocabulary lists containing musician
List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Week 1 Spelling
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -an
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
One of the people Tuchel befriended at the bar was Max Herre, a Stuttgart musician who would go on to be one of Germany's most popular rappers.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Though he went on to craft a career in the public eye as a musician, comedian and actor, painting remained his “true vocation.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
On my way into the bar, I met a 47-year-old musician and event organizer named Natasha Lands.
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026
Johnson’s mother, Griffith, did appear to give her seal of approval to the musician, however, stating in a video that was posted by the gossip account DeuxMoi that she thought he was “fabulous.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
To be a hero was almost like being a great musician.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
