lyricist

[ lir-uh-sist ]

/ ˈlɪr ə sɪst /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for lyricist on Thesaurus.com

Definition of lyricist

noun

a person who writes the lyrics for songs.

a lyric poet.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of lyricist

First recorded in 1880–85; lyric + -ist

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lyricist

lyricist , lyrist

Words nearby lyricist

lyre-form sofa, lyre snake, lyric, lyrical, lyricism, lyricist, lyricize, Lyrids, lyriform, lyrism, lyrist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use lyricist in a sentence

I don’t profess to be the world’s greatest lyricist or anything, but I do try very hard and I wouldn’t say the age we’re in is a golden age of the word.
Musical adventurer Rufus Wainwright returns to touring, plays D.C. Sept. 28|Joey DiGuglielmo|September 16, 2021|Washington Blade
I grew up listening to Bloc Party and Kele is one of the greatest lyricists of his generation.
Pandemic playlists: Songs (and podcasts) that got us through coronavirus lockdown|Seb Joseph|July 26, 2021|Digiday
Instead, it was filled with quieter, stripped-down melodies that allowed Swift’s talents as a lyricist to shine.
Taylor Swift, pop culture workhorse|Constance Grady|December 11, 2020|Vox
“I Am Easy to Find” was the first National record to decenter Berninger, also the band’s primary lyricist, by featuring several female singers including Kate Stables, Mina Tindle, Sharon Van Etten and Gail Ann Dorsey, David Bowie’s longtime bassist.
How Taylor Swift and indie rock band the National became unlikely collaborators|Sonia Rao|December 11, 2020|Washington Post

Lyricist E. Y. “Yip” Harburg was as provocative as Hammerstein, though with a much less earnest, more whimsical sensibility.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive|Laurence Maslon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the many pleasures of the book is to see the lyricist frolic in another form.
Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt’s Winning Little Words of Scrabble|David Bukszpan|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is a gifted lyricist, but in the Hong Kong live music scene, rap is a niche genre.
Why Won’t Hong Kong Get Down With Hip-Hop?|Tim Mak|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one wrote about this subject in a way children could understand better than the famous American lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
Saudi Textbooks Incite Hate, Say Leaders in American Publishing|Robert L. Bernstein, Harold Evans, Larry Kirshbaum, Adam Bellow, Larry Hughes, Andre Schiffrin, Jonathan Karp|October 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Pindar, the greatest lyricist of the Greeks, wrote about athletic contests; athletes were his heroes.
The Literature of Ecstasy|Albert Mordell
Subjective this poet may be—is it not a virtue in the lyricist?
Studies of Contemporary Poets|Mary C. Sturgeon
To pass down in history as an exceptional beauty is to inspire art ideals and to furnish a theme for the lyricist.
Women of England, Volume 9 (of 10)|Burleigh James Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for lyricist

lyricist

/ (ˈlɪrɪsɪst) /

noun

a person who writes the words for a song, opera, or musical play

Also called: lyrist a lyric poet

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

lyricist

Definition of lyricist

Origin of lyricist

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lyricist

Words nearby lyricist

Words related to lyricist

How to use lyricist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lyricist