ear candy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of ear candy
First recorded in 1980–85
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.
“Deadbeat” works well as a studio demonstration and space-filling ear candy, but there isn’t nearly enough happening otherwise to sustain Tame Impala fans for another few years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
Sure, I liked ear candy like “Sugar Magnolia” and “Casey Jones,” but I really didn’t get the band or the cult-like devotion of their fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2022
“Armchair Explorer” is ear candy for listeners eager to advance from soft to hardcore adventures.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2020
“It’s ear candy and eye candy at the same time,” he said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 3, 2016
From the scrappy, combative strains of the overture — in which the music seems almost to give up on itself in disgust — you intuit that this is not an evening of ear candy.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2011
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
