lyric

American  

[lir-ik] / ˈlɪr ɪk /

adjective

1. (of poetry) having the form and musical quality of a song, and especially the character of a songlike outpouring of the poet's own thoughts and feelings, as distinguished from epic and dramatic poetry.

2. pertaining to or writing lyric poetry.

   a lyric poet.

3. characterized by or expressing spontaneous, direct feeling.

   a lyric song; lyric writing.

4. pertaining to, rendered by, or employing singing.

5. (of a voice) relatively light of volume and modest in range.

   a lyric soprano.

6. pertaining, adapted, or sung to the lyre, or composing poems to be sung to the lyre.

   ancient Greek lyric odes.

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noun

1. a lyric poem.

2. Often lyrics. the words of a song.

lyric British  

/ ˈlɪrɪk /

adjective

1. 1. expressing the writer's personal feelings and thoughts

   2. having the form and manner of a song

2. of or relating to such poetry

3. (of music) having songlike qualities

4. (of a singing voice) having a light quality and tone

5. intended for singing, esp (in classical Greece) to the accompaniment of the lyre

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noun

1. a short poem of songlike quality

2. (plural) the words of a popular song

lyric Cultural  

1. A kind of poetry, generally short, characterized by a musical use of language. Lyric poetry often involves the expression of intense personal emotion. The elegy, the ode, and the sonnet are forms of the lyric poem.

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Other Word Forms

• lyrically adverb
• lyricalness noun
• nonlyric adjective
• nonlyrical adjective
• nonlyrically adverb
• nonlyricalness noun
• semilyric adjective
• semilyrical adjective
• semilyrically adverb
• unlyric adjective
• unlyrical adjective
• unlyrically adverb
• unlyricalness noun

Etymology

Origin of lyric

1575–85; < Latin lyricus < Greek lyrikós. See lyre, -ic

Example Sentences

The dynamic singer delivered every lyric with his whole body as he frenetically tapped the buttons of his brightly colored accordion, doing his best to make the squeezebox sound like an electric guitar.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

“When people go around talking to God, it always ends in tears” is absolutely the most Bono lyric, not taking himself too seriously but also still being completely, 100% sincere.

From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026

Imagine Blur covering Falco's Rock Me Amadeus, adding a lyric about jam roly polys and a gigantic call-and-response section, and you'll be part of the way to understanding its unique charm.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Tennyson spent 17 years composing and revising the lyric sequence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Unlike Grandfather’s stories, which quieted the warring spirits within her with the softness of moonlight or the lyric timbre of a lone flute, Mrs. Rappaport’s speech thrilled her like sunlight and trumpets.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord