musical

[ myoo-zi-kuhl ]

/ ˈmyu zɪ kəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR musical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or producing music: a musical instrument.

of the nature of or resembling music; melodious; harmonious.

fond of or skilled in music.

set to or accompanied by music: a musical entertainment.

noun

Also called musical comedy. a play or motion picture in which the story line is interspersed with or developed by songs, dances, and the like.

Nearby words

music stand, music theatre, music to one's ears, music video, musica ficta, musical, musical box, musical chairs, musical chairs, play, musical comedy, musical glasses

Origin of musical

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word mūsicālis. See music, -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR musical

1 tuneful, dulcet, sweet, lyric.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR musical ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

mu·si·cal·ly, adverbmu·si·cal·i·ty, mu·si·cal·ness, nounan·ti·mu·si·cal, adjectivean·ti·mu·si·cal·ly, adverb

an·ti·mu·si·cal·ness, nounnon·mu·si·cal, adjectivenon·mu·si·cal·ly, adverbnon·mu·si·cal·ness, nounpre·mu·si·cal, adjectivepre·mu·si·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-mu·si·cal, adjectivequa·si-mu·si·cal·ly, adverbun·mu·si·cal·i·ty, noun

Can be confused

musical musicale

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for musical

He was treated like an immigrant, working for minimum wage, missing his family and having to move on from his musical career.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar|Daniel Levin|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her very first performance onstage came at the age of 4, when she cameoed as a dancing flower in the musical Bye Bye Birdie.
Jena Malone’s Long, Strange Trip From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom|Marlow Stern|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her mother had a musical theater background, so Malone grew up backstage, watching productions come to fruition.
Jena Malone’s Long, Strange Trip From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom|Marlow Stern|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I heard that at one point you were trying to put together a Batman musical on Broadway.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The cultural weather was particularly clement for musical theater writers during this period.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive|Laurence Maslon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It could convey so much, could be so tender and beseeching, so charged with deepest sadness, so musical always.
Jan and Her Job|L. Allen Harker
So the adaptation of new words and accompaniment to an old air is a musical composition entitled to protection.
A Treatise Upon the Law of Copyright in the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the Crown,|E. J. MacGillivray
Of all the musical plays that he produced, this was perhaps his favorite.
Charles Frohman: Manager and Man|Isaac Frederick Marcosson and Daniel Frohman
Pythagoras reduced the musical scale to a mathematical science.
Little Journeys To The Homes Of Great Teachers|Elbert Hubbard
My musical education, in spite of the limitations of opportunity just mentioned, was the best that the time could afford.
Reminiscences, 1819-1899|Julia Ward Howe.

British Dictionary definitions for musical

musical

/ (ˈmjuːzɪkəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or used in musica musical instrument

harmonious; melodiousmusical laughter

talented in or fond of music

involving or set to musica musical evening

noun

short for musical comedy

Derived Forms

musically, adverbmusicalness or musicality, noun

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

Culture definitions for musical

musical

A play or film that contains musical numbers. Musicals can be comedic (see musical comedy) or serious in tone, such as Porgy and Bess.