falsetto
an unnaturally or artificially high-pitched voice or register, especially in a man.
a person, especially a man, who sings with such a voice.
of, noting, or having the quality and compass of such a voice.
in a falsetto.
Origin of falsetto
1Words Nearby falsetto
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use falsetto in a sentence
One section that gets the blood pumping more than any other is the second half of the chorus, in which the low-toned voices of rappers singing “baby hold on” are woven together with vocalists’ light falsettos in a dynamic contrast of vocal timbres.
You might laugh at first at his ridiculous falsetto, and then you might blast the song 20 times in a row due to its relentless exuberance.
While many of IU’s tracks are sung in a weightier fashion, her singing here is airy and delicate —whether in the soft falsetto or the whispery ooh’s that fill the post-chorus.
He made his first digital splashes back in 2011 as a mystery man, refusing to assign a name or face to his voice — a floating, yearning falsetto that sounded like it was trying to escape the loneliness of living inside the body that had produced it.
At the weirdest Super Bowl, the Weeknd came to play | Chris Richards | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostFans of Earth, Wind & Fire need only hear a few notes of Philip Bailey’s iconic falsetto before they start to swoon, sway and sing along.
Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey Hosts Virtual Holiday Gala | cmurray | December 3, 2020 | Essence.com
They wrote big songs with big falsetto choruses designed for big sing-alongs in big stadiums.
Gwyneth Paltrow Haunts Coldplay’s Self-Conscious Breakup Album ‘Ghost Stories’ | Andrew Romano | May 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd he starts to sing it, filling the room with his sweet, fragile tenor, shifting to a falsetto that cuts straight to the heart.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou | John Ed Bradley | April 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTUnlike his falsetto and his "cool dad" penchant for fedoras, this rumored affair is just so not cute.
Marry, Screw, Kill: Lindsay Lohan Sex List Scandal Edition | Amy Zimmerman | March 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis three-octave falsetto was also used to good advantage in Mars Attacks!
The Deaths You Missed This Year | Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So, Michael Moynihan, Caitlin Dickson | December 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThat high falsetto is frighteningly convincing, which raises the question: could a man really have pulled it off?
Listen Here: Voicemails From Manti Te’o’s ‘Girlfriend’ | Lizzie Crocker | January 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST"Well, if it ain't ole Turkeyneck in person," he called in a high falsetto voice, as the two entered.
David Lannarck, Midget | George S. HarneyAt last his companion had got into the habit of looking up at him whenever he cried in a falsetto voice, "Mignonne."
A Passion in the Desert | Honore de BalzacThe trolley-wire, lifting a whole city home to supper, is a giant with a falsetto voice.
The Voice of the Machines | Gerald Stanley LeeAfter the squalling falsetto had implored for a long time, the assailant at last gave over the exercise.
The Landloper | Holman DayThe employment of the falsetto at any time, either in speaking or reading, is of doubtful taste.
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886 | Ministry of Education
British Dictionary definitions for falsetto
/ (fɔːlˈsɛtəʊ) /
a form of vocal production used by male singers to extend their range upwards beyond its natural compass by limiting the vibration of the vocal cords
Origin of falsetto
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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