melody
noun
mel·o·dy
| \ ˈme-lə-dē
\
\
plural melodies
Definition of melody
1
: a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds
whilst all the winds with melody are ringing— P. B. Shelley
2
: a rhythmic succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole
a hummable melody the piper's fingers play the melody on a pipe called a chanter— Pat Cahill
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Other Words from melody
melodic
\ mə-ˈlä-dik
\
adjective
\
adjective
melodically
\ mə-ˈlä-di-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of melody in a Sentence
He wrote a piece that includes some beautiful melodies.
a composer known for his love of melody
He sang a few old-fashioned melodies.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Fans of both funky rhythms and infectious melodies should definitely take in this mid-afternoon set. — Chip Mccabe, courant.com, "One can’t-miss band for every day at The Big E," 3 Sep. 2019 Simple melodies and phrases are repeated at a rate even greater than your typical Ariana Grande or Rihanna song. — Dan Kopf, Quartzy, "One secret to Old Town Road’s record-breaking success? Kids are obsessed with it," 29 July 2019 Featuring Jobim adding sparse counter melodies and accents on piano and Gilberto’s longtime drummer Milton Banana tapping out barely audible cymbal and tom-tom patterns, its eight songs defined a universe. — Randall Roberts, latimes.com, "Appreciation: Alongside the British Invasion, a quieter one: How João Gilberto transformed global pop music," 7 July 2019 An homage to beat culture and scene luminaries like J Dilla, Beat Tape’s breezy rhythms and melodies make for the idyllic summer BBQ soundtrack. — John Ochoa, Billboard, "Billboard Dance Summer 2019 Music Guide: 15 Must-Hear Releases From Griz, Marshmello, Illenium & More," 24 June 2019 What are the hundreds of factors of rhythm and harmony, melody and form, rhythm and sound, and lyrics and production? — NBC News, "A musicologist explains the science behind your taste in music," 19 June 2019 Keep it simple, groovy rhythms, clean, big harmonies, cool melody and with a positive lyrical content. — Ed Masley, azcentral, "Local music picks for Phoenix: Flotsam and Jetsam, Wade Cota, Joey DeFrancesco, DaDadoh," 5 June 2019 But songs increasingly are utilizing catchy melodies and danceable grooves to imagine a better, more equitable world – or to present this world in the kind of positive light that Trump seems willfully to withhold. — Mikael Wood, kansascity, "KCK’s Janelle Monae and other pop artists shape the new sound of protest music," 6 July 2018 Everything flowed into the American song through Berlin, creating a great melting pot of melody. — John Podhoretz, National Review, "Irving Berlin," 22 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'melody.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for melody
melody
noun
English Language Learners Definition of melody
: a pleasing series of musical notes that form the main part of a song or piece of music
: a song or tune
See the full definition for melody in the English Language Learners Dictionary
melody
noun
mel·o·dy
| \ ˈme-lə-dē
\
\
plural melodies
Kids Definition of melody
1
: pleasing arrangement of sounds
2
: a series of musical notes or tones arranged in a definite pattern of pitch and rhythm
3
: the main part in a musical composition
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