lyric

American  

[lir-ik] / ˈlɪr ɪk /

adjective

1. (of poetry) having the form and musical quality of a song, and especially the character of a songlike outpouring of the poet's own thoughts and feelings, as distinguished from epic and dramatic poetry.

2. pertaining to or writing lyric poetry.

   a lyric poet.

3. characterized by or expressing spontaneous, direct feeling.

   a lyric song; lyric writing.

4. pertaining to, rendered by, or employing singing.

5. (of a voice) relatively light of volume and modest in range.

   a lyric soprano.

6. pertaining, adapted, or sung to the lyre, or composing poems to be sung to the lyre.

   ancient Greek lyric odes.

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noun

• lyrics
  plural

1. a lyric poem.

2. Often lyrics. the words of a song.

lyric British  

/ ˈlɪrɪk /

adjective

1. 1. expressing the writer's personal feelings and thoughts

   2. having the form and manner of a song

2. of or relating to such poetry

3. (of music) having songlike qualities

4. (of a singing voice) having a light quality and tone

5. intended for singing, esp (in classical Greece) to the accompaniment of the lyre

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noun

1. a short poem of songlike quality

2. (plural) the words of a popular song

lyric Cultural  

1. A kind of poetry, generally short, characterized by a musical use of language. Lyric poetry often involves the expression of intense personal emotion. The elegy, the ode, and the sonnet are forms of the lyric poem.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lyricalness
  noun
• nonlyricalness
  noun
• unlyricalness
  noun
• nonlyric
  adjective
• nonlyrical
  adjective
• semilyric
  adjective
• semilyrical
  adjective
• unlyric
  adjective
• unlyrical
  adjective
• lyrically
  adverb
• nonlyrically
  adverb
• semilyrically
  adverb
• unlyrically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lyrics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lyric

1575–85; < Latin lyricus < Greek lyrikós. See lyre, -ic

Explanation

The word lyric claims its emotional place in music and poetry, with the words to a song being called the lyrics, while a lyric poem is one steeped in personal emotions, making it song-like. As with many artistic terms, the word lyric derives from the Greek, specifically from lyrikós, meaning "singing to the lyre," and today’s meanings are also rooted in the idea of music. The lyric poem was first seen in the late 16th Century, while the reference to a song’s words as lyrics appeared in 1876. If every one of your poems starts with the word "I," you might be a lyric poet.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lyric lyrics

Early in her career, Dean would sometimes worry that a lyric might be too personal, only to find that those were the lines that fans would mention when they approached her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Is there a particular lyric off of”Blingy” that resonates with any of you?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

When 10th Street Entertainment’s merchandising director Ian Dietrich came across fanmade clothing with the Papa Roach lyric “Cut my life into pieces,” he didn’t try to take the shop down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Three bottles in, Lightbody stumbled on a chord sequence and a lyric: "If I lay here / If I just lay here / Would you lie with me and just breathe in the world?"

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

My favorite lyric is “One song before I go...”

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

The insider further revealed that the lovers spent 20 minutes exchanging their handwritten vows, and that they handed out custom handkerchiefs, embroidered with a “TT” and lyrics from Swift’s 2014 song “Blank Space.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026

Inspired by Talking Heads and Grace Jones, it's a record whose shimmering surfaces disguise lyrics of deep emotional complexity.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

In fact, the deeply personal lyrics were inspired by Parton’s mother and her exhausted loyalty to a husband who strayed and took her for granted.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

But in the writing rooms, she dreamed up lyrics and melodies by the fistful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

I listened to the music, not paying much attention to the lyrics, and studied the few couples dancing.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez