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lyric

[ lir-ik ]

/ ˈlɪr ɪk /

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See synonyms for: lyric / lyrics on Thesaurus.com

adjective Also lyr·i·cal.

(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.

pertaining to or writing lyric poetry: a lyric poet.

characterized by or expressing spontaneous, direct feeling: a lyric song; lyric writing.

pertaining to, rendered by, or employing singing.

(of a voice) relatively light of volume and modest in range: a lyric soprano.

pertaining, adapted, or sung to the lyre, or composing poems to be sung to the lyre: ancient Greek lyric odes.

noun

a lyric poem.

Often lyrics. the words of a song.

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Origin of lyric

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

OTHER WORDS FROM lyric

lyr·i·cal·ly, adverblyr·i·cal·ness, nounnon·lyr·ic, adjectivenon·lyr·i·cal, adjective

non·lyr·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·lyr·i·cal·ness, nounsem·i·lyr·ic, adjectivesem·i·lyr·i·cal, adjectivesem·i·lyr·i·cal·ly, adverbun·lyr·ic, adjectiveun·lyr·i·cal, adjectiveun·lyr·i·cal·ly, adverbun·lyr·i·cal·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lyric in a sentence

She’s also used the group’s lyrics to talk through issues with her daughter about dating and race.
For fans of BTS, the only thing better than the group is each other|Marian Liu|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
This computer program can generate brand-new melodies, based on a user’s lyrics.
Computers are changing how art is made|Stephen Ornes|November 12, 2020|Science News For Students
The rapper and producer clapped back at Congressman Paul Gosar for using his lyrics on Twitter to promote his political victory.
Lil Jon Drags Congressional Republican For Using ‘Get Low’ Lyrics To Promote His Win|Joe Colucci|November 11, 2020|Essence.com
The music starts and the first lyrics we hear are “I’ve been on my own for a minute.”
Follow along with Apple’s last 2020 product announcement event|Stan Horaczek|November 10, 2020|Popular-Science

When the lyric reaches the name of the parish, “Emanuel AME Church,” Liverman stays there a while, tinting it an aching blue.
At Kennedy Center recital, baritone Will Liverman is a voice for this historic moment|Michael Andor Brodeur|November 8, 2020|Washington Post
This is Bey and Nicki at their most lyrically masochistic, and boy, is it a treat.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By and large, pop, both musically and lyrically, was polite.
Before the Earthquake Hit: When The Beatles Landed in America|Michael Tomasky|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He speaks in heavily-accented English, but fluidly and lyrically, with both force and deliberation.
The Politics of Literature: An interview with Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa|Michael Moynihan|October 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Boyle writes lyrically of the fragile ecosystems of these isolated islands and the sea around them.
Must-Read Novels|Michael Korda, Jane Ciabattari|February 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Besides, he writes movingly, almost lyrically, about my friend Gloria Vanderbilt, who deserves every word.
A Late Night Visit From Christopher Plummer|Michael Korda|November 29, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Then there is the poem on the story of Cristina and Monaldeschi; a subject too odious, I think, to be treated lyrically.
The Poetry Of Robert Browning|Stopford A. Brooke
"Perhaps I express myself a little too lyrically," he said with an amicable abruptness.
The Ball and The Cross|G.K. Chesterton
In “The Spring of Love” the landscape vibrates in lyrically soft and flattering chords.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 3 (of 4)|Richard Muther
I would not mind Mr. Noyes putting himself lyrically into the woaded skin of our ancestors.
Books and Persons|Arnold Bennett
After all, she had not broken the old home ties (to put it lyrically) for this sort of thing, now, had she?
Jane Journeys On|Ruth Comfort Mitchell

British Dictionary definitions for lyric

lyric

/ (ˈlɪrɪk) /

adjective

(of poetry)

expressing the writer's personal feelings and thoughts
having the form and manner of a song

of or relating to such poetry

(of music) having songlike qualities

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

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

noun

a short poem of songlike quality

(plural) the words of a popular song

Also (for senses 1–4): lyrical

Derived forms of lyric

lyrically, adverblyricalness, noun

Word Origin for lyric

C16: from Latin lyricus, from Greek lurikos, from lura lyre

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

Cultural definitions for lyric

lyric

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.