| English Dictionary |
MUSICAL
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Dictionary entry overview: What does musical mean?
• MUSICAL (noun)
The noun MUSICAL has 1 sense:
1. a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing
Familiarity information: MUSICAL used as a noun is very rare.
• MUSICAL (adjective)
The adjective MUSICAL has 4 senses:
1. characterized by or capable of producing music
2. talented in or devoted to music
3. characteristic of or resembling or accompanied by music
4. containing or constituting or characterized by pleasing melody
Familiarity information: MUSICAL used as an adjective is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
musical; musical comedy; musical theater
Hypernyms ("musical" is a kind of...):
film; flick; motion-picture show; motion picture; movie; moving-picture show; moving picture; pic; picture; picture show (a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement)
play (a theatrical performance of a drama)
Derivation:
musical (containing or constituting or characterized by pleasing melody)
musical (characteristic of or resembling or accompanied by music)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Characterized by or capable of producing music
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Context example:
musical instruments
Pertainym:
music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)
Derivation:
musicalness (the property of sounding like music)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Talented in or devoted to music
Context example:
comes from a very musical family
Similar:
philharmonic (devoted to or appreciative of music)
Antonym:
unmusical (lacking interest in or talent for music)
Derivation:
music (musical activity (singing or whistling etc.))
Sense 3
Meaning:
Characteristic of or resembling or accompanied by music
Context example:
a musical comedy
Similar:
chanted (sung or uttered rhythmically in a monotone)
liquid (smooth and flowing in quality; entirely free of harshness)
singable (suitable for singing)
Attribute:
musicality; musicalness (the property of sounding like music)
Antonym:
unmusical (not musical in nature)
Derivation:
music ((music) the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments (or reproductions of such sounds))
musical (a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing)
musicality; musicalness (the property of sounding like music)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Containing or constituting or characterized by pleasing melody
Synonyms:
Context example:
the melodious song of a meadowlark
Similar:
ariose; songlike (having a melody (as distinguished from recitative))
canorous; songful (richly melodious)
cantabile; singing (smooth and flowing)
dulcet; honeyed; mellifluous; mellisonant; sweet (pleasing to the ear)
lyrical (suitable for or suggestive of singing)
Derivation:
music (any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds)
musical (a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing)
musicality; musicalness (the property of sounding like music)
Context examples
I think, Miss Woodhouse, you and I must establish a musical club, and have regular weekly meetings at your house, or ours.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
He gave me the names and descriptions of all the musical instruments, and the general terms of art in playing on each of them.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
“Really musical, isn't it, my dear Copperfield?” said Traddles.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
They whispered together, and then they all three laughed—such a silvery, musical laugh, but as hard as though the sound never could have come through the softness of human lips.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
A light glimmered in each of his dull eyes, a tinge of colour came into his wax-like cheeks, and, opening his toothless mouth, he suddenly emitted a peculiar, bell-like, and most musical cry.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
They read, they talked, they sang together; his musical talents were considerable; and he read with all the sensibility and spirit which Edward had unfortunately wanted.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
Her voice was musical but unlike that of either of my friends.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
"Are you the musical girl?" he asked, without any startling "Hey!" as he looked down at her very kindly.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Mr. Carruthers was very kind and very musical, and we had most pleasant evenings together.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
It was the quality of it, the repose, and the musical modulation—the soft, rich, indefinable product of culture and a gentle soul.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
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