ballad

[ bal-uhd ]

noun

1. any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody.
2. a simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas and adapted for singing.
3. any poem written in similar style.
4. the music for a ballad.
5. a sentimental or romantic popular song.

ballad

/ ˈbæləd /

noun

1. a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
2. a narrative poem in short stanzas of popular origin, originally sung to a repeated tune
3. a slow sentimental song, esp a pop song

ballad

¹

1. A simple narrative song, or, alternatively, a narrative poem suitable for singing. ( See under “Conventions of Written English.” )

ballad

²

1. A simple narrative song, or a narrative poem suitable for singing. The ballad usually has a short stanza , such as:

   There are twelve months in all the year,

   As I hear many men say,

   But the merriest month in all the year

   Is the merry month of May.

Other Words From

• bal·lad·ic [b, uh, -, lad, -ik], adjective
• ballad·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballad¹

1350–1400; Middle English balade < Middle French < Old Provençal balada dance, dancing-song, equivalent to bal ( ar ) to dance (< Late Latin ballāre; ball ² ) + -ada -ade ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballad¹

C15: from Old French balade , from Old Provençal balada song accompanying a dance, from balar to dance, from Late Latin ballāre ; see ball ²

Example Sentences

Springfield: Well, “Right Here Waiting” is one those songs, the “Oh, my God, that’s just perfect, the perfect ballad.”

From Los Angeles Times

And she has been shortlisted for the country-adjacent ballad Please Please Please in the song of the year category, which is awarded for the craft of songwriting.

From BBC

There’s also the crazed racket of “Motorbike Song” and the alluring ballad “Big Dreams,” written on acoustic guitar and matched in tone by a wistful music video directed by longtime collaborator John Angus Stewart.

From Los Angeles Times

The ballad was originally released as a Children In Need song in 2004 and topped the UK chart for two weeks.

From BBC

Her slow-burning rendition of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s “West Side Story” ballad — “my all-time favorite,” Jones told The Times in 2018 — is six minutes of lush orchestral jazz in which Franklin sounds as untethered as she ever did.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chant
• ditty