adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
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
It is also the first choral work to claim the top spot since the poll began in 1996.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Pamela Hopkins asked when she stepped out of a Sunday evening choral service at St. Philip’s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
The libretto is mostly in vernacular English, except for choral interjections of the Buddhist “Diamond Sutra,” sung in Chinese.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2025
But large choruses, soloists and orchestra were bread and butter to Bach in his Passions, Handel in his oratorios, Mozart in his Requiem and Haydn in his grand choral works.
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.
