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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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Discover More

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

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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

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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

She also excelled in the fast, showy aria in which she warns Dejanira to beware of jealousy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

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

‘Protection . . .’” Across the street Mrs. Bidzikian sings the climactic three notes of the “Queen of the Night” aria from The Magic Flute.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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

Diller’s company, media conglomerate IAC, is the largest shareholder of Aria parent MGM Resorts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

"I genuinely believed he had supernatural powers," says Aria, which is not her real name.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

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

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Mr. Redler’s score leans toward musical theater, with tuneful, rhythmic arias often built on strophic, deftly rhymed text as well as deep affinity with Maclean’s poetic diction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Renowned internationally, she had a busy concert schedule focused on art songs, choral music, opera arias and Negro spirituals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 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

In this tale of an imprisoned queen, her supposedly dead husband, and her struggle against a usurper, brilliantly characterized arias succeed each other like jewels, ratcheting up the emotion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

They sing arias, recitatives, choruses supported by an orchestra.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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