musical
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or used in music
a musical instrument
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harmonious; melodious
musical laughter
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talented in or fond of music
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involving or set to music
a musical evening
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antimusicalnessnoun
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musicalitynoun
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musicalnessnoun
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nonmusicalnessnoun
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antimusicaladjective
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nonmusicaladjective
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premusicaladjective
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quasi-musicaladjective
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antimusicallyadverb
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musicallyadverb
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nonmusicallyadverb
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premusicallyadverb
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quasi-musicallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of musical
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; from Medieval Latin mūsicālis; see music, -al 1
Explanation
Anything musical has to do with music. Tra la la! If you’re really musical, try out for a musical so you can sing on the big stage. And, if you’re playing musical chairs, better find a seat before the music stops! Musical things have a tune or rhythm, like a robin’s song or "La Cucaracha." Musical instruments, like clarinets and guitars, make music. Or hope to. The bands you’re into reflect your musical tastes. If your parents are musicians, you come from a musical family. When musical is a noun, it's short for "musical drama." The Sound of Music is a musical (film) about the musical (talented singing) Von Trapp family. Guess what they’re into.
Vocabulary lists containing musical
Reading: Literature - Drama - Introductory
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Academy Awards, List 4
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 8
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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.
See Examples For:
Her musical career took her overseas and she eventually left the UK to work on Broadway, where she understudied Streisand in Funny Girl.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Stewart “concluded that the works contain substantial similarities in protectable musical expression, including repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody,” the complaint alleges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Watching “That Thing You Do!” climbing the charts throughout the movie is a peek into an alien musical world, one that was both more regional and more monocultural than the one we inhabit today.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
One Thai Olympic official told AFP it was "like musical chairs".
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The Kodály Song Web contains hundreds of American and other folk songs from around the world, as well as musical information on every song to help teachers learn and teach them.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
A return to industrial musicals in the age of A.I. didn’t strike me as a solution for all the woes afflicting the performing arts, from pricey tickets to the increasingly blatant corporatization of the arts.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Theatre-lover Kirsty O'Donnell was a regular visitor to the West End to enjoy musicals and plays.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“I was really taken with the great Technicolor musicals; it’s the form that’s closest to my heart in a way,” Curry told The Times in 1992.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
My father transitioned into an acting career and was in off-Broadway plays and musicals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ms. Washington’s big into theater—she always directs the musicals up at the high school—and loves it when kids turn their presentations into performances.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
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.
