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• aria
  aria

  noun

  an air or melody.
• Aria
  Aria

  noun

  a nymph, the mother of Miletus, by Apollo.
• -aria
  -aria

  a suffix occurring in scientific terms of Latin origin, especially in names of biological genera and groups.

aria

¹ American  

[ahr-ee-uh, air-ee-uh] / ˈɑr i ə, ˈɛər i ə /

noun

• arias
  plural

1. an air or melody.

2. an elaborate melody sung solo with accompaniment, as in an opera or oratorio.

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Aria ² American  

[ahr-ee-uh, uh-rahy-uh] / ˈɑr i ə, əˈraɪ ə /

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. a nymph, the mother of Miletus, by Apollo.

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-aria ³ American  

1. a suffix occurring in scientific terms of Latin origin, especially in names of biological genera and groups.

   filaria.

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aria British  

/ ˈɑːrɪə /

noun

1. an elaborate accompanied song for solo voice from a cantata, opera, or oratorio See also da capo

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aria Cultural  

1. A piece of music for one voice (or occasionally two voices) in an opera, oratorio, or cantata. In contrast with recitative singing, arias are melodious; in contrast with ordinary songs, arias are usually elaborate.

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Some composers, such as Richard Wagner, have felt that arias interrupt the action of opera too much and hence have written operas without them.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• arias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aria¹

From Italian, dating back to 1735–45; see origin at air ¹

Origin of -aria³

< Latin: feminine singular or neuter plural of -ārius -ary

Explanation

An aria is an elaborate song written specifically for a solo voice. If you find yourself belting out "Che gelida manina" from La Boheme in the shower, you’ve just been performing an aria. The word aria comes from the Italian and means "air." The word is often used to describe songs from operas. Two famous ones include “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” — "Love is a rebellious bird" — and “O mio babbino caro” — "Oh my dear Papa!" It is sometimes used almost metaphorically to describe someone’s impressive solo performance of any type. Arias within opera, and classical music in general, are almost always accompanied by instrumental music, but there is only one voice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aria Aria arias

The song Sweet Transvestite has been described as the first big, glam-rock aria of the musical, and is the audience's introduction to Dr Frank-N-Furter.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

Yvonne Russo’s documentary “Viva Verdi!” captures the vibrant life inside its walls, expressed in the aria “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” sung by soprano Ana María Martínez and composed by Nicholas Pike.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026

The entire cycle converges in her final 20 minute-long aria, a task that demands the endurance of a cross-country skier and the precision of a sharpshooting biathlete.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

Not everyone was happy with the last minute arrangement however, with some members of the audience reportedly booing when the opera's famous aria -- Nessun dorma -- was omitted.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

My debut aria, "Erbarme dich," is still in my throat, caught there just at the surface like ice in water.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

In the meantime, Aria Krylova, who’s worked at Anima Mundi for several years, put out the store’s top cooling agents for me to try.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Iran midfielder Aria Yousefi flies into the air after going for the ball against New Zealand midfielder Joe Bell.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

Aria was found face down on the floor of her home by Ollie Sheppard, who was temporarily lodging there, just after 18:00 GMT.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

I probably could have walked or taken a tram to Aria faster than the 21-minute, 2.78-mile ride in the Zoox.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

“Can I take a picture?” the hazmat named Aria says.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Staging da capo arias is always a challenge, and Ms. Griffin often fell into the trap of extremes—Mr. Brownlee and Mr. Costanzo tossed chairs around, leaped acrobatically onto furniture and ripped things up—or stasis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

He bestows on his characters arias, and Daniel’s cast delivers them as though the words were expressly made for these particular actors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

“Hercules” is more streamlined than Handel’s operas, and its most dramatic passages—including Hercules’ death and Dejanira’s subsequent mad scene—are written as accompanied recitatives rather than da capo arias.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

She takes all the repeats, which makes it one of the longest arias in the Baroque literature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

He would put on his best clothes, shave, and play his favorite opera arias on the gramophone.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende