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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

Countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim sang Alessandro with a hooded quality and too much vibrato; he sounded messy, especially in the big register jumps of his agitated Act 2 aria.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

In Costanzo’s closing aria, “Gandhi’s Prayer,” he leaves behind, Christ-like, hatred and exultation for unsullied love.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

By contrast, Tyson’s subsequent aria revealing his own old trauma is pat and unconvincing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 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

Then she sang “O mio Fernando,” the aria that had won her the Lewisohn Stadium contest fourteen years earlier, followed by Schubert’s “Ave Maria.”

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman

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

Some hotels are trying to offer more affordable options after the uproar over the $26 bottle of water from the Aria minibar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

"Aria seemed bubbly and happy because she had a good dance class," Hull said.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

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

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

The music seesaws brilliantly between Blanche’s dreaming arias, when time seems to stop, and her impoverished reality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

To continue the opera metaphor, it’s like staging “La Bohème” with the celebrated arias muted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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

Playwright Richard Greenberg was the maestro of shimmering verbal arias.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025

Indeed, against the backdrop of scientific endeavour and machine-like precision there was a very human emotion that enriched every note of Handel’s solo arias in opera and oratorio: compassion.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall