tuneful

[toon-fuhl, tyoon-]

adjective

1. full of melody; melodious.

   tuneful compositions.

   Synonyms: sweet, dulcet, harmonious, musical
   Antonyms: discordant

2. producing musical sounds or melody.

tuneful

/ ˈtjuːnfʊl /

adjective

1. having a pleasant or catchy tune; melodious

2. producing a melody or music

   a tuneful blackbird

Other Word Forms

• tunefully adverb
• tunefulness noun
• untuneful adjective
• untunefully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tuneful¹

First recorded in 1585–95; tune + -ful

Example Sentences

His tuneful whistle echoes through the corridor, harmonizing with itself before fading into silence.

Read more on Literature

The band’s relationships to music and their own voices have changed with age: ragged choirboys as they are now, but still tuneful and beautiful.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It began with the score’s hit, “A Simple Song,” Bernstein at his most tuneful, even saccharine.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The sound is raw yet tuneful, with scratchy electric guitars and whomping live drums in place of the synth-ier, more intricately layered productions of “Love Hate Music Box.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Also: “Mayhem” is better than “Chromatica” — more tuneful, more coherent, certainly more fun.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• catchy 
• symphonic