vocal
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or uttered with the voice.
the vocal mechanism;
vocal criticism.
-
rendered by or intended for singing.
vocal music.
-
having a voice.
A dog is a vocal, but not a verbal, being.
-
giving forth sound with or as with a voice.
-
inclined to express oneself in words, especially copiously or insistently.
a vocal advocate of reform.
- Synonyms:
- outspoken, vociferous
-
Phonetics.
noun
-
a vocal sound.
-
a musical piece for a singer, usually with instrumental accompaniment.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or designed for the voice
vocal music
-
produced or delivered by the voice
vocal noises
-
connected with an attribute or the production of the voice
vocal organs
-
frequently disposed to outspoken speech, criticism, etc
a vocal minority
-
full of sound or voices
a vocal assembly
-
endowed with a voice
-
eloquent or meaningful
-
phonetics
-
of or relating to a speech sound
-
of or relating to a voiced speech sound, esp a vowel
-
noun
-
a piece of jazz or pop music that is sung
-
a performance of such a piece of music
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of vocal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vōcālis, equivalent to vōc- (stem of vōx ) voice + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Anything vocal is related to speaking or singing, like your math class's vocal objections to a pop quiz or the vocal warm-ups that a jazz singer does before a big performance. The word vocal comes from the Latin vocalis ("sounding, sonorous, or speaking") and its root meaning of "voice." As a noun, it refers to a section of music that's sung, rather than played on an instrument: "The vocals in that song were beautiful, but the guitar was out of tune." There's also a figurative way to be vocal, by expressing your ideas passionately and freely: "She was vocal about her environmentalism."
Vocabulary lists containing vocal
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Music - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Music - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press/Associated Press VOCAL: A demonstrator shouted in front of police in Rome during a protest against the construction of a high-speed train line on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2013
Such developments have helped fuel the nationwide growth of VOCAL, Victims of Child Abuse Laws, a lobbying and referral group that was started three years ago in Minneapolis because of the Jordan case.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
