vocal

American  

[voh-kuhl] / ˈvoʊ kəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or uttered with the voice.

   the vocal mechanism;

   vocal criticism.

2. rendered by or intended for singing.

   vocal music.

3. having a voice.

   A dog is a vocal, but not a verbal, being.

4. giving forth sound with or as with a voice.

5. inclined to express oneself in words, especially copiously or insistently.

   a vocal advocate of reform.

   Synonyms:

   outspoken, vociferous

6. Phonetics.

   1. vocalic.

   2. voiced.

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noun

1. a vocal sound.

2. a musical piece for a singer, usually with instrumental accompaniment.

vocal British  

/ ˈvəʊkəl, vəʊˈkælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designed for the voice

   vocal music

2. produced or delivered by the voice

   vocal noises

3. connected with an attribute or the production of the voice

   vocal organs

4. frequently disposed to outspoken speech, criticism, etc

   a vocal minority

5. full of sound or voices

   a vocal assembly

6. endowed with a voice

7. eloquent or meaningful

8. phonetics

   1. of or relating to a speech sound

   2. of or relating to a voiced speech sound, esp a vowel

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noun

1. a piece of jazz or pop music that is sung

2. a performance of such a piece of music

Other Word Forms

• nonvocal adjective
• nonvocally adverb
• vocality noun
• vocally adverb
• vocalness noun

Etymology

Origin of vocal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vōcālis, equivalent to vōc- (stem of vōx ) voice + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

"The player base are very vocal with what we want and what we don't want," said Megan, who streams the game to her 20,000 followers on Twitch.

From BBC

Summed up by Pavlovic as "jangly guitars and chanted layered vocals", it's both richly harmonic and somewhat ramshackle - born of a decision to embrace spontaneity and leave studio mistakes intact.

From BBC

Researchers at McGill University have developed a new hydrogel that may one day help people recover from vocal cord injuries.

From Science Daily

In the middle of the scene, Tierney fades into a recent cover of the song by the British producer Harrison, and a man’s vocals replace the women’s.

From Salon

During the war, Sweden was the first Western nation to recognize North Vietnam in 1969 and became a vocal ally, with a significant portion of Swedish citizens demonstrating for what they saw as Vietnamese liberation.

From Salon

Related Words

• articulate
• blunt
• eloquent
• expressive
• forthright
• outspoken
• strident
• vociferous