vocal

[ voh-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or uttered with the voice:

   the vocal mechanism;

   vocal criticism.

2. rendered by or intended for singing:

   vocal music.

3. having a voice:

   A dog is a vocal, but not a verbal, being.

4. giving forth sound with or as with a voice.
5. inclined to express oneself in words, especially copiously or insistently:

   a vocal advocate of reform.

   Synonyms: outspoken, vociferous

6. Phonetics.
   1. vocalic ( def 1 ).
   2. voiced.

noun

1. a vocal sound.
2. a musical piece for a singer, usually with instrumental accompaniment. Compare instrumental ( def 6 ).

vocal

/ ˈvəʊkəl; vəʊˈkælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designed for the voice

   vocal music

2. produced or delivered by the voice

   vocal noises

3. connected with an attribute or the production of the voice

   vocal organs

4. frequently disposed to outspoken speech, criticism, etc

   a vocal minority

5. full of sound or voices

   a vocal assembly

6. endowed with a voice
7. eloquent or meaningful
8. phonetics
   1. of or relating to a speech sound
   2. of or relating to a voiced speech sound, esp a vowel

noun

1. a piece of jazz or pop music that is sung
2. a performance of such a piece of music

Derived Forms

• ˈvocally, adverb
• vocality, noun

Other Words From

• vo·cal·i·ty [voh-, kal, -i-tee], vo·cal·ness noun
• vo·cal·ly adverb
• non·vo·cal adjective noun
• non·vo·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of vocal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vōcālis, equivalent to vōc- (stem of vōx ) voice + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of vocal¹

C14: from Latin vōcālis possessed of a voice, from vōx voice

Example Sentences

Now, just like other 12-year-olds, she goes to school, plays with her friends and is more vocal about her rights.

From Ozy

Otherwise a vocal minority get to make the decisions for the majority.

From Fortune

I think that its leaders have been very vocal about the fact that they have Marxist leanings.

From Ozy

The Information reported last week that Epic is trying to drum up support from other tech companies to join its vocal opposition against Apple’s business practices.

From Digiday

News Corp has been vocal about the platforms, we’re going into this with eyes wide open.

From Digiday

I ended up developing a blister on one of my vocal cords, so that kinda sucked.

From The Daily Beast

Jessen was named a Mormon bishop, but the appointment was met with vocal protests.

From The Daily Beast

Entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa is a vocal proponent of gender diversity.

From The Daily Beast

One, from a short preview of her rehearsal performance, is that Williams certainly boasts the vocal chops to do the part justice.

From The Daily Beast

Cooke describes Joplin as being “always on the prowl and vocal about it.”

From The Daily Beast

The infant begins its vocal utterances with simple cries; only at a later age does it begin to articulate.

From Project Gutenberg

The opera is too full of unnecessary incidents and details, too heavily orchestrated, and not sufficiently vocal.

From Project Gutenberg

He established a singing school where he taught vocal music and published "Choral Music," a collection of German songs.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus, contributions to vocal music, instrumental music and musical forms have been made by natives and residents of Virginia.

From Project Gutenberg

When these additional signs were invented the vocal and instrumental notes had come to be employed together.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• articulate
• blunt
• eloquent
• expressive
• forthright
• outspoken
• strident
• vociferous