# lyric

/ˈɫɪɹɪk/ (US) · /lˈɪɹɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/lyric
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. song words

noun · CEFR B1

the words of a song.

For teachers: the words of a song or other vocal musical composition; usually used in the plural.

- I can never remember the lyrics to this song, even though I've heard it many times.
- The songwriter spent weeks refining the lyrics to ensure the emotional resonance of the chorus matched the complexity of the melody.

### 2. a type of poem

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

a short poem that expresses the personal feelings of the writer.

For teachers: a poem that expresses the writer's emotions, usually briefly and in stanzas or recognized forms like sonnets.

- The poet wrote a beautiful lyric about his childhood home.
- The anthology focuses on the nineteenth-century lyric, highlighting how personal grief was transformed into universal art through structured verse.

### 3. expressing feelings

adjective · CEFR B2 · Academic

relating to poetry or music that expresses personal emotions in a song-like way.

For teachers: relating to poetry that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings, often characterized by a melodic or rhythmic quality.

- She has a very lyric style of writing that focuses on her inner thoughts.
- The author's lyric prose elevates the memoir, turning a simple sequence of events into a profound meditation on memory and loss.

### 4. voice type

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

having a light and clear singing voice.

For teachers: denoting a singing voice of light quality and modest range, especially in opera.

- The young singer is a lyric soprano with a very bright tone.
- The role requires a lyric tenor capable of navigating the delicate upper register without sacrificing the clarity of the Italian vowels.

## Examples

- I can never remember the lyric to this song.
- The singer spent months writing every lyric to ensure the album told a personal story about her childhood.
- While the melody is undeniably catchy, it is the poetic depth of the lyric that elevates the track from a simple pop tune to a profound social commentary.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.