libretto
Americannoun
plural
librettos, libretti-
the text or words of an opera or similar extended musical composition.
-
a book or booklet containing such a text.
noun
Etymology
Origin of libretto
1735–45; < Italian, diminutive of libro book < Latin liber; see -et
Explanation
In opera, the libretto is the words or lyrics, as distinct from the music. Mozart composed the music to his operas, but the librettos were written by someone else. The life of the librettist is often a thankless one. If the opera is a success, nobody mentions the libretto. Often, the libretto of an opera or musical is called the "book" and refers to all the parts of the script except the music. This can be helpful in remembering what the word means, because libr- is Latin for "book" (as in "library").
Vocabulary lists containing libretto
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Theater - Middle School
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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.
Gian Carlo Menotti’s gothic libretto felt weirder than usual.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
Scene 2, a scrim projection informs us, takes place eight years later, moving us back into the time frame of the original libretto.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
In 2016, the company gave the premiere of Bright Sheng’s “Dream of the Red Chamber,” which is, like “Monkey,” based on a classic Chinese novel and has a libretto by Hwang.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2025
The late Herbert Kretzmer, who wrote the English libretto for Les Misérables, felt he was not given enough credit for transforming the original French musical into the hugely popular English-language version, letters have revealed.
From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025
If Ethan were here, he’d have the whole libretto written by the time we stepped out of the car.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
