melody
[noun]
Synonyms:
- tune, air, music, song, strain, theme
- tunefulness, euphony, harmony, melodiousness, musicality

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Related Words: song, bel canto, canto, vocalise, lyrics

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English Thesaurus: music, tune, melody, harmony, piece, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

mel‧o‧dy /ˈmelədi/ noun (plural melodies)
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: melodie, from Late Latin, from Greek meloidia 'music', from melos 'arm or leg, musical phrase, song' + aeidein 'to sing']

1. [countable] a song or tune:
They played some lovely melodies.
a haunting melody

2. [uncountable] the arrangement of musical notes in a way that is pleasant

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

melody
noun
ADJ. beautiful, lovely, sweet | bold, simple, strong | complex | haunting, memorable | familiar, popular, traditional
VERB + MELODY play, sing | hear | have Most of her songs have a bold melody.
write

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

melody

a sweet/pretty/lovely melody (=pleasant)
The pianist played a sweet melody.
a good/strong melody
It’s hard to find rules about what makes a good melody.
a simple melody
I like songs with a simple melody.
a catchy melody (=one that is easy to remember)
With their catchy melodies, the songs are likely to be hits.
a haunting melody (=used about a beautiful melody, especially one that is rather sad and which you remember for a long time)
He began to play a soulful, haunting melody.
a plaintive melody (=sad)
The song's plaintive melody expresses perfectly the feeling of loneliness that she feels after her lover has gone.
a lilting melody (=rising and falling in a pleasant way)
Lennon’s voice enters with a gently lilting melody.
a pop melody (=one that is typical of a pop song)
The album’s perfect pop melodies make it probably the best record this year.
have a melody
All his songs have good melodies.
play a melody
At this point, the flute begins to play the melody.
sing a melody
She sang the melodies as though she loved them.
carry the melody (=play or sing the melody, while other voices or instruments play other notes)
The soprano voice carries the melody.
the melody line (=the melody, compared to the other parts of the music)
The melody line is often set too high for people singing in church.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

music the sounds made by musical instruments or people singing:
The music was really loud.
tune the main series of musical notes in a piece of music:
a folk song with a pretty tune
melody the main series of notes in a piece of music that has many notes being played at the same time, especially in classical music:
The soprano sang the melody.
harmony the chords or notes in a piece of music that support the melody:
the rich harmonies in the symphony
piece (also piece of music) an arrangement of musical notes – use this about music without words:
It’s a difficult piece to play.
composition formal a piece of music that someone has written:
This is one of his own compositions.
work a piece of music, especially classical music:
one of Mozart’s best-known works
track one of the songs or pieces of music on a CD:
the album’s title track
number a piece of popular music that forms part of a concert or show:
the show’s first number

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

song a short piece of music with words that you sing:
We sang songs around the campfire.
The song was written by John Lennon.
track one of the songs on a CD or record:
Track three is my favourite one.
number a song that forms part of a performance of several songs:
The show was brilliant, from the opening number to the end.
tune the notes in a song, without the words:
I recognize the tune, but I can’t remember what it’s called.
melody the main series of notes in a piece of music that has several parts which are played together:
The song has a simple melody and beautiful lyrics.
verse a set of sentences that make up one part of a song:
She sang the first verse of ‘Amazing Grace’.
chorus a set of sentences in a song that is repeated after each verse:
Most of the kids were able to join in the chorus.
national anthem the official song of a country, which is sung or played on public occasions:
Before the match, everyone stood up to sing the national anthem.
hymn /hɪm/ a religious song that is sung in a church:
What hymns did you choose for your wedding?
At funerals people often sing the hymn ‘Abide with Me’.
carol a traditional Christmas song:
We went around the houses, singing carols.
folk song a traditional song from a particular area:
an old Mexican folk song
ballad a long folk song which tells a story:
a traditional ballad about a man who is dreaming of his home in Ireland
lullaby a slow quiet song sung to children to make them go to sleep:
She sat by the child’s bed, softly singing a lullaby.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲