singsong

[ sing-sawng, -song ]

noun

1. verse, or a piece of verse, that is monotonously jingly in rhythm and pattern of pitch.
2. monotonous rhythmical cadence, tone, or sound.
3. British. an unrehearsed singing of well-known songs by an audience or other informal, untrained group; a community sing.

adjective

1. monotonous in rhythm and in pitch.

singsong

/ ˈsɪŋˌsɒŋ /

noun

1. an accent, metre, or intonation that is characterized by an alternately rising and falling rhythm, as in a person's voice, piece of verse, etc
2. an informal session of singing, esp of popular or traditional songs

adjective

1. having a regular or monotonous rising and falling rhythm

   a singsong accent

Word History and Origins

Origin of singsong¹

First recorded in 1600–10; sing + song

Example Sentences

A rabbi led a singsong chant calling for “no more war” and “cease-fire now” and offered a prayer for peace in Hebrew and English.

From New York Times

The Frankenstein patchwork of his face has echoes of Alasdair Gray's chiselled artwork and he uses the same gentle accent and singsong voice as Gray himself.

From BBC

Designed to unite parishioners stuck at home during Covid lockdown, his "a tipple and a singsong" idea took off and attracted worshippers as far away as Brazil.

From BBC

A tweak here gives the story a singsong rhythm; a shift there adds a note of absurdism.

From Los Angeles Times

“We have so many animals that have boo-boos in our book,” a brown-haired woman said in a singsong voice, holding up a book called “All Better!”

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• belt out
• chant
• croon
• hum
• intone
• serenade
• shout
• wait
• warble
• whistle