musical
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or used in music
a musical instrument
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harmonious; melodious
musical laughter
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talented in or fond of music
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involving or set to music
a musical evening
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antimusicalnessnoun
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musicalitynoun
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musicalnessnoun
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nonmusicalnessnoun
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antimusicaladjective
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nonmusicaladjective
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premusicaladjective
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quasi-musicaladjective
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antimusicallyadverb
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musicallyadverb
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nonmusicallyadverb
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premusicallyadverb
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quasi-musicallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of musical
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; from Medieval Latin mūsicālis; see music, -al 1
Explanation
Anything musical has to do with music. Tra la la! If you’re really musical, try out for a musical so you can sing on the big stage. And, if you’re playing musical chairs, better find a seat before the music stops! Musical things have a tune or rhythm, like a robin’s song or "La Cucaracha." Musical instruments, like clarinets and guitars, make music. Or hope to. The bands you’re into reflect your musical tastes. If your parents are musicians, you come from a musical family. When musical is a noun, it's short for "musical drama." The Sound of Music is a musical (film) about the musical (talented singing) Von Trapp family. Guess what they’re into.
Vocabulary lists containing musical
Reading: Literature - Drama - Introductory
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Academy Awards, List 4
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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.
See Examples For:
He recently released the music from his stage musical Murder at the Gates.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Its perseverance, when considered in relation to its musical talent, seems heroic—slightly psychotic, even.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Vincent’s musical dreams were traditional: He wanted to meet girls and make lots of money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
The plaintiffs’ lawyers noted in their filing that at least a half dozen suits currently pending in federal court in San Francisco related to musical compositions being improperly used to train artificial intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
“My mom and I are going to a musical version of ‘Cinderella’ over at the college this weekend,” Miranda continued.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Only if a new generation of artists walks away from the old-hit-movie-into-stale-new-stage-show model and starts creating musicals that are conceptually more ambitious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Other guests in this bloc included a professor who wrote a book about industrial musicals, the aforementioned “influencers group,” and all the attendees who’d just so happened to be named Bill.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Morbid musicals are one of my favorite micro-genres, from “Little Shop of Horrors” and “All That Jazz” to “A Star Is Born” and “Cabaret.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Theatre-lover Kirsty O'Donnell was a regular visitor to the West End to enjoy musicals and plays.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Jane and I spend the hours before Opening Night constructing the perfect preshow playlist, which comprises—as requested—odd-numbered pop punk songs and even-numbered tunes from musicals.
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
