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

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

That lyric defines the album’s back half — and really, Madonna’s entire career.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

The song, a diss track aimed at fellow rapper BIA, includes the lyric “Do she even got a BET award?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

As his band moves from abstraction back into song form, his evident freedom at the drum kit—something Roach helped make possible—suggests new meaning for the lyric “I’m gonna sit at the welcome table.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Every lyric of “Amazing Grace” is consuming me, opening my eyes real wide.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

ARIRANG, named after a South Korean folk song, includes mostly English lyrics but explores themes including Korean identity after the band's hiatus for mandatory military service.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

And decades later, that’s Uncle Larry’s lyrics behind the plaintive and gorgeously intricate “Yes I Will,” the album’s closer.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

However, it would also have been excluded from the new Asian Pop category, as its lyrics were written almost entirely in English.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Lisa-Kaindé is the bleeding heart who whispers divinity into her lyrics, and Naomi grounds them with the beating pulse of her percussion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

In this one, my classmates say my lyrics.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas