noun
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a person who writes the words for a song, opera, or musical play
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Also called: lyrist. a lyric poet
Etymology
Origin of lyricist
Explanation
A lyricist is an artist who writes the words to songs. While Leonard Bernstein composed the music for West Side Story, Stephen Sondheim was the lyricist. A song's words are lyrics, and the person who writes them is a lyricist. Originally, these terms described a kind of musical poetry and the poet who specialized in the form: the Greek root lyrikos means "singing to the lyre." Today, lyricists write the words that a vocalist will sing. Sometimes they write the music too, though lyricists often collaborate with composers to create a song.
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.
The 83-year-old confessional lyricist said in a statement that she had "been learning how to live with Parkinson's disease" and that she had also been treated for skin cancer.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The dramatic track, penned by Meat Loaf's lyricist Jim Steinman, was originally titled Vampires in Love, as it had been written for a musical version of Nosferatu.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
In 1939, composer Earl Robinson and lyricist John La Touche wrote the ambitious “Ballad for Americans,” an extended, oratorio-like work famously performed by both Paul Robeson and Bing Crosby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
“If you think you’re the best lyricist, you must be using the Wu-Tang sword, and so we’re the Wu-Tang Clan. We felt we were the best lyricists in hip-hop.”
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
You might well be the lyricist of an all-time hit.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
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.
