orchestral

American  

[awr-kes-truhl] / ɔrˈkɛs trəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling an orchestra.

2. composed for or performed by an orchestra.

   orchestral works.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonorchestral adjective
• nonorchestrally adverb
• orchestrally adverb

Etymology

Origin of orchestral

First recorded in 1805–15; orchestr(a) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The moment, now known as Democracy Manifest, became one of the most viral videos in Australia's history, and inspired thousands of memes, musical remixes, merchandise and even an orchestral piece.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Opening track I Will Overcome finds her doom-scrolling through her phone on the rainy streets of Paris, set to an orchestral score that recalls Sondheim at his most melodramatic.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

The full force of Lawrence Sher’s cinematography, Karen Murphy’s production design and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s orchestral score is fabulous, combining to make something seedy, moody and extravagant.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

The 15-minute orchestral piece has inspired seven different choreographies, but is most widely associated with the version created by Bejart, which remains the best known.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

However, because of the instrument's history, older orchestral parts may be in any conceivable transposition, even changing transpositions in the middle of the piece.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones