adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of choral
1580–90; < Medieval Latin chorālis, equivalent to chor ( us ) chorus + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
When a large, organized group sings together, the music can be described as choral. Singing the choral piece "Messiah" by Handel is an annual tradition for many people who celebrate Christmas. The adjective choral is used for music that's sung by a choir or chorus — or written for voices, rather than instruments. It also describes anything connected to that kind of singing, like choral groups, choral concerts, and choral scholars who major in music at college. The word comes from the Greek khoros, which means "dance," but implies some singing too.
Vocabulary lists containing choral
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.
He shared L.A. with longtime posts at the Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony, and Cincinnati May Festival of choral much, which he headed for a record 37 years.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Their programs were not principally drill-and-kill exercises, but extended to mathematics, English composition, geography, history, and music — piano, violin, and choral programs.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Egerton, from Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion, said: "There's a tradition of choral singing in Wales. Some people think that all Welsh people can sing and I would tend to agree."
From BBC • May 21, 2026
One of the oddest and most affecting pieces in the choral repertory is coming to Cincinnati’s May Festival on Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
He simply carried on where Dufay left off, thickening and embellishing the polyphonic choral style that you would have heard almost anywhere across Europe in the later fifteenth century.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions 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.
