wordless
Americanadjective
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speechless, silent, or mute.
-
not put into words; unexpressed.
adjective
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inarticulate or silent
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music of or relating to vocal music that is not provided with an articulated text
a wordless chorus
Other Word Forms
- wordlessly adverb
- wordlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of wordless
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.
The wordless vocal refrain bears a resemblance to Leo Sayer’s 1976 hit “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” and that’s one catchy hook alongside several others.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
The Jewish composer recalled the niguns — wordless, improvised prayers — that he grew up hearing in synagogue, and he drew on that sense memory.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025
Its beat is a mix of drum machines, sequenced electronics and an acoustic kit, as tricky cymbal flourishes and field recordings of wordless voices echo somewhere in the background.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025
It includes a wordless soprano in tribute to Nellie Melba, the Australian soprano.
From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025
While John watched, the Power struck someone, a man or woman; they cried out, a long, wordless crying, and, arms outstretched like wings, they began the Shout.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
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.
