lyricism
noun
lyr·i·cism
ˈlir-ə-ˌsi-zəm 
1
: the quality or state of being lyric : songfulness
The important part of his anthology 100 Modern Poems is the foreign verse, showing the French influence on our symbolism, the Celtic influence (Yeats, Dylan Thomas) on our lyricism.—
Peter Viereck
Peter Viereck2
a
: an intense personal quality expressive of feeling or emotion in an art (such as poetry or music)
… a muse that brought out the lyricism in innumerable writers.—Erich Segal
Erich Segal
b
: exuberance
[Thomas] Wolfe is the sort of author who inspires lyricism or invective, not judicious interpretation.—Time
Time3
: the words of a song : lyrics
witty lyricism
Despite her spitfire raps and devil-may-care persona, Lee's lyricism is surprisingly sensitive, proving the rapper to be wise beyond her years.—Gladys Yeo
Gladys YeoRenaissance, Beyoncé's seventh album, was a seductive club banger with heady lyricism and deep tributes to the queer community.—CT Jones
CT JonesExamples of lyricism in a Sentence
the lyricism of his paintings
Recent Examples on the Web
Lots of overnight successes grapple with fame on their follow-up album, and this subject matter intensifies Kahan’s already self-effacing lyricism.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
But when not asked to clown too much, Nicole Heaston (Alice), Sarah Saturnino (Meg), Hyona Kim (Mistress Quickly) and Deanna Breiwick (Nannetta) reveal seductive powers and Breiwick brings Fairy Queen magical lyricism to the final scene.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
This is another stride of lyricism, philosophy, I’m-the-best braggadocio, bravado.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The 84-year-old artist is often cited as one of the most influential songwriters of all time, pushing the folk genre to unseen limits through his lyricism.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lyricism
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.
Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
But when not asked to clown too much, Nicole Heaston (Alice), Sarah Saturnino (Meg), Hyona Kim (Mistress Quickly) and Deanna Breiwick (Nannetta) reveal seductive powers and Breiwick brings Fairy Queen magical lyricism to the final scene.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
This is another stride of lyricism, philosophy, I’m-the-best braggadocio, bravado.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The 84-year-old artist is often cited as one of the most influential songwriters of all time, pushing the folk genre to unseen limits through his lyricism.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lyricism
Cite this Entry
“Lyricism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lyricism. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
