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
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a vocal sound.
-
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
-
produced or delivered by the voice
vocal noises
-
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
-
endowed with a voice
-
eloquent or meaningful
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phonetics
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of or relating to a speech sound
-
of or relating to a voiced speech sound, esp a vowel
-
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
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.
LIV turned vocal opponent Rory McIlroy into the sport’s moral conscience, though McIlroy softened his antagonism as time went on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The 37-year-old from Northern Ireland was a vocal opponent of LIV, the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway tour that attracted some of the biggest names in the sport when launched in 2022.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
The result also marks a defeat for tech billionaire Elon Musk, who became one of Talarico’s most vocal opponents in the final weeks of the campaign.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
“I was very vocal about financial freedom for women,” Sarah said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Whatever advantage Einstein had over a parrot, it wasn’t vocal.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
