as in accent
the attractive quality of speech or music that rises and falls in a pleasing pattern
There was a charming lilt to her voice. a tune with a lilt
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Recent Examples of lilt
Liam Hess, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
Being the naive newbie in Idaho does suit Cale, with his British lilt and fey enthusiasm for the manliness of the West.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Noun
As the song unfolds, their voices begin to braid together like twin strands of ivy—a Scottish lilt and a Montana twang—creeping across a hard stone wall of fuzzy grunge guitars.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
Being the naive newbie in Idaho does suit Cale, with his British lilt and fey enthusiasm for the manliness of the West.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
The album is a triumphant release that balances anger and grief and, at times, surprising joy, with Estrada’s bright, lilting soprano piercing through the veil of her pain.
—Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
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Update your coop's curb appeal by installing little shutters or painting the accents like the door.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The piece comes in two color options, including all black and a walnut wood finish with gold accents.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nat King Cole crooned about its kicks in a 1946 hit song.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Adam Sandler crooned it in the 2006 Click, as the soundtrack to his first kiss with Kate Beckinsale.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As part of that, the cadence of launches on Falcon 9 and other rockets to the Moon is likely to increase by something like a factor of 10 due to the need to land rovers, supplies, habitats, communications equipment, and much more to support human activities.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2026
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Online and hybrid formats are what make that cadence feasible at scale.—
Ian Gibson,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The track begins with Winter’s distinct vocals warbling and wobbling over a tender percussion groove.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 July 2025
-
The famous John Williams fanfare that blasted Star Wars onto our screens had appreciably less impact than even a standard screen would now offer, let alone IMAX and Dolby Cinema premium offerings while at some parts of the film, the sound warbled a little, before returning to normal.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
The rhythm of the first 40 minutes of the game was almost entirely dictated by special teams, with four power plays a side.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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In fairness to Simpson, who looked tentative and never got into a rhythm on a wet field, Bama’s offensive line had a bad game.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the fall, the workers trade in their pruning shears for knives sharp enough to skin a deer in minutes.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
28 Nov. 2025
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Today there’s a rich universe of supplemental Pynchon material ranging from prose only an English PhD could unpack, to sharp analysis that makes the experience of reading Pynchon communal and fun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The name hums with nostalgia, and includes a placid nod to those coal-mining towns where people were paid in company scrip.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The yoga platform looking out over the Himalayan range through lofty pines gives a fresh resonance to the concept of a mountain pose asana and to bhramari, honey-bee breathing exercises taken with the actual insect community humming vibrantly around the ears.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a now-viral clip, Carpenter overheard someone from the crowd trilling during her set for Weekend 1 and asked if the audience member was yodeling.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2026
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Serene spa music, a blend of classical piano and loudly chirping birds, trilled in the background as the machine sloshed and gurgled.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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