melody

noun

mel·​o·​dy ˈme-lə-dē How to pronounce melody (audio)
plural melodies
Synonyms of melodynext
1
: a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds
… whilst all the winds with melody are ringing.—Percy Bysshe 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
melodic
mə-ˈlä-dik How to pronounce melody (audio)
adjective
melodically
mə-ˈlä-di-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce melody (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of melody

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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 melodies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Shimmy’s talents shine brightest here, his cadence balancing the beat’s bouncing 808s against the sample’s breezy melodies. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 Across 17 tracks, guitar riffs curdle into sheets of distortion, melodies dissolve into electronic hiss, and grooves are chronically interrupted by fresh rhythmic detours. — Arman Khan, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026 DeCicca strikes just the right balance with his arrangements, giving Askew’s spare keyboard lines and deceptively casual melodies heft without overwhelming them. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 31 July 2026 Her own pieces are impressive examples of songcraft, with narrative twists sets to supple, memorable melodies. — Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for melody

Word History

Etymology

Middle English melodie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin melodia, from Greek melōidia chanting, music, from melos limb, musical phrase, song (probably akin to Breton mell joint) + aeidein to sing — more at ode

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of melody was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

melodrame
melody
melodyless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Melody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melody. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

melody

noun
mel·​o·​dy ˈmel-əd-ē How to pronounce melody (audio)
plural melodies
1
: a pleasing succession of sounds
2
: a series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect
3
: the leading part in a musical composition involving harmony

More from Merriam-Webster on melody

Nglish: Translation of melody for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about melody

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All