vocal
Americanadjective
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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.
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giving forth sound with or as with a voice.
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inclined to express oneself in words, especially copiously or insistently.
a vocal advocate of reform.
- Synonyms:
- outspoken, vociferous
-
Phonetics.
noun
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a vocal sound.
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a musical piece for a singer, usually with instrumental accompaniment.
adjective
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of, relating to, or designed for the voice
vocal music
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produced or delivered by the voice
vocal noises
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connected with an attribute or the production of the voice
vocal organs
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frequently disposed to outspoken speech, criticism, etc
a vocal minority
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full of sound or voices
a vocal assembly
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endowed with a voice
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eloquent or meaningful
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phonetics
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of or relating to a speech sound
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of or relating to a voiced speech sound, esp a vowel
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noun
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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
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Music - Introductory
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Music - Middle School
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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.
Chanos has been a vocal critic of the AI investment boom, arguing it is reminiscent of the 1990s dot-com bubble.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
All the while, she has remained his vocal critic.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
"I love that song musically, and there's a lot going on - a lot of harmonies - and literally in the car, I was like, turn that backing vocal up just one decibel," she says.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Those who grew up during the Golden Age of Disney Channel like myself have been well aware of Naomi Scott’s vocal prowess — bold yet playful and honey-sweet.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
Prominent black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells was a vocal critic of the suffragist movement’s racism.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
