lyric

pronunciation

How to pronounce lyric in British English: UK [ˈlɪrɪk]word uk audio image

How to pronounce lyric in American English: US [ˈlɪrɪk] word us audio image

  • Noun:
    the text of a popular song or musical-comedy number
    a short poem of songlike quality
  • Verb:
    write lyrics for (a song)
  • Adjective:
    expressing deep personal emotion
    used of a singer or singing voice that is light in volume and modest in range
    relating to or being musical drama
    of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses emotion (often in a songlike way)

Word Origin

lyric (n.)
"a lyric poem," 1580s, from Middle French lyrique "short poem expressing personal emotion," from Latin lyricus "of or for the lyre," from Greek lyrikos "singing to the lyre," from lyra (see lyre). Meaning "words of a popular song" is first recorded 1876. Related: lyrics.

Antonym

adj.

epic

Example

1. He wrote a thesis on the lyric poetry of our country comparing it with that of europe .
2. They were distributed in the form of printed lyric sheets , with a note to indicate which tune they should be sung to .
3. The best lyric poems-think of keats or shelley , for example-are moments of epiphany , a sudden opening out onto magic casements .
4. Simply putting on a happy face , as the classic song lyric advises , can make a difference .
5. Pindar , the father of lyric poetry , took as his chief subject the winning of games , and the spirit of the end-zone dance has been with us ever since .

more: >How to Use "lyric" with Example Sentences