lyricist

American  

[lir-uh-sist] / ˈlɪr ə sɪst /

noun

1. a person who writes the lyrics for songs.

2. a lyric poet.

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lyricist British  

/ ˈlɪrɪsɪst /

noun

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

2. Also called: lyrist.  a lyric poet

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Etymology

Origin of lyricist

First recorded in 1880–85; lyric + -ist

Explanation

A lyricist is an artist who writes the words to songs. While Leonard Bernstein composed the music for West Side Story, Stephen Sondheim was the lyricist. A song's words are lyrics, and the person who writes them is a lyricist. Originally, these terms described a kind of musical poetry and the poet who specialized in the form: the Greek root lyrikos means "singing to the lyre." Today, lyricists write the words that a vocalist will sing. Sometimes they write the music too, though lyricists often collaborate with composers to create a song.

Example Sentences

Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar said in a television interview on Sunday that she would often prepare kebabs for him, taking particular pleasure when he praised her food.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

She brought him to meet her son, an aspiring lyricist named Howard Greenfield, and the pair quickly became a songwriting team, with Greenfield writing the words and Sedaka handling the music.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

“Blue Moon” isn’t merely a showcase for Ethan Hawke’s continuing quest to challenge himself as an actor, illustrated by his Oscar-nominated turn as the very short, comb-over-sporting lyricist Lorenz Hart.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

The quartet is fronted by vocalist and lyricist Florence Shaw, who practiced and taught visual art before linking with guitarist Tom Dowse, bassist Lewis Maynard and drummer Nick Buxton in the late 2010s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

You might well be the lyricist of an all-time hit.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• composer
• musician
• poet
• songwriter