falsetto

[ fawl-set-oh ]
See synonyms for: falsettofalsettos on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural fal·set·tos.
  1. an unnaturally or artificially high-pitched voice or register, especially in a man.

  2. a person, especially a man, who sings with such a voice.

adjective
  1. of, noting, or having the quality and compass of such a voice.

adverb
  1. in a falsetto.

Origin of falsetto

1
1765–75; <Italian, equivalent to fals(o) (<Latin falsusfalse) + -etto-et

Words Nearby falsetto

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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.

    The 10 Best Songs of 2021 | Cady Lang | December 5, 2021 | Time
  • 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.

  • Fans 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.

British Dictionary definitions for falsetto

falsetto

/ (fɔːlˈsɛtəʊ) /


nounplural -tos
  1. 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

1
C18: from Italian, from falso false

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012