adjective
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of or relating to melody
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of or relating to a part in a piece of music
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tuneful or melodious
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of melodic
1815–25; < Late Latin melōdicus < Greek melōidikós. See melody, -ic
Explanation
Something that's tuneful or pretty to listen to is melodic. If your French teacher has a friendly smile and a melodic voice, you could probably sit and listen to her talk for hours. Anything sweet sounding — a bird's trill, a poet's voice, or the tune you sing in the shower — is melodic. A more technical meaning of the word is "containing melody," the definition a professional musician might use. Melody is a quality of music defined as "tunefulness" or "a satisfying series of notes." Music teachers play melodic patterns for their students to duplicate, and composers sometimes combine melodic phrases to form a symphony. The Greek root of melodic is melos, or "song."
Vocabulary lists containing melodic
Music - Middle School
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Music - High School
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"Superman and Me" and "A Smart Cookie/It's Our Story, Too"
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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.
And now Rein Me In, the melodic love song by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, has officially broken the longest standing record in British music history.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Set to a minimalist hip-hop beat, it showcased their ability to transition seamlessly from a rap flow to melodic vocal riffs.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Who do these guys regard as music’s greatest melodic bass player?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
He transferred what he called the phasing technique from tape to live music in “Piano Phase,” where one pianist repeats a melodic pattern while another plays the same sequence at a slightly faster tempo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
There was nearly as much commotion over the saving of the sinners as there had been during the gratifying melodic sermon.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
