melody
gb/mˈɛlədi/ us/mˈɛlədi/
B1
English
~ 5900
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
a tuneful line of notes
A line of musical notes that makes the main tune of a song or piece of music.
Usage pattern:
[someone] writes [a melody] for [a song]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse 'melody' with 'rhythm' or 'lyrics'. 'Melody' is the line of notes (the tune you can hum), 'rhythm' is the pattern of long and short sounds or beats, and 'lyrics' are the words of a song. Another mistake is using 'a music' instead of 'a melody' or 'a piece of music'.
Synonyms
tune (Very close in meaning; slightly more informal and more common in everyday speech than 'melody'.)
Antonyms
noise (Suggests random, unpleasant sound, without the organized pattern of notes that a melody has.)
Collocations
catchy melody
|simple melody
|beautiful melody
|main melody
|write a melody
|hum a melody
Themes
music
|art
|entertainment
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The melody of that song stayed in my head all day.
- She sat at the piano and slowly worked out a new melody.
- The violin plays a simple melody while the other instruments support it.
- I love the sad melody at the beginning of this movie soundtrack.
- He whistled a cheerful melody as he walked to work.
Learner examples
- This song has a very catchy melody.
- Can you hum the melody for me?
- The guitar plays the main melody in this band.
- She wrote the words and he wrote the melody.
- I like songs with an easy melody.
Noun
technical
B2
entity
2
principal musical line in music
The main part of the music that plays or sings the tune, while other parts support it.
Usage pattern:
the melody is played by [an instrument]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'melody' means all the music they hear, but in music theory it can mean only the main line, not the harmony or accompaniment. Another confusion is between 'melody' and 'harmony': the melody is one line of notes; harmony is other notes that sound at the same time to support it.
Synonyms
lead line (Common in music talk; clearly technical and usually used by musicians to mean the main melodic part.)
Antonyms
accompaniment (Refers to the supporting musical parts that back up the melody rather than carrying the main tune.)
Collocations
melody line
|carry the melody
|vocal melody
|instrumental melody
|melody and harmony
|melody and accompaniment
Themes
music
|education
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- In this arrangement, the flute has the melody and the strings provide a soft accompaniment.
- The choir director asked the sopranos to sing the melody while the other voices added harmonies.
- The left hand plays the chords, and the right hand plays the melody on the piano.
- The guitar takes over the melody after the saxophone solo.
- Students were asked to identify which instrument carried the melody in each section of the piece.
Learner examples
- In this song, the melody is in the singer’s part.
- The piano plays the chords, and the violin plays the melody.
- The teacher told us to listen for the melody and not the background sounds.
- The trumpet carries the melody in the second half of the piece.
- I like to play the melody and let my friend play the bass line.
unknown
literary
B2
property
3
pleasant musical quality of sound
A soft, musical sound in a voice or in the way someone speaks or a language sounds.
Usage pattern:
the melody of [someone]'s voice
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse this figurative sense and put 'melody' before many nouns where a simpler word like 'sound' or 'tone' is more natural. Use it mainly when you want to suggest that a voice or sound is as pleasant and musical as a tune.
Synonyms
lilt (Focuses more on a light, rhythmic rise and fall in the voice; often used for pleasant, musical speech.)
Antonyms
harshness (Describes an unpleasant, rough sound quality, the opposite of a smooth, melodic quality.)
Collocations
the melody of her voice
|the melody of his speech
|the melody of the language
|soft melody of her laughter
|gentle melody of their voices
Themes
emotions
|sound
|literature
|communication
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- He was drawn to the melody of her voice as she read the story.
- Even without understanding the words, they loved the melody of the language.
- The gentle melody of his speech calmed the nervous audience.
- She missed the familiar melody of children playing in the street outside.
- They listened in silence to the soft melody of the waves against the rocks.
Learner examples
- I like the melody of her voice when she sings to the baby.
- He loves the melody of Italian when people speak it quickly.
- There was a sweet melody in her laugh.
- We sat and listened to the quiet melody of the rain.
- The melody in his voice made the story sound magical.
Grammar
Dictionary form
melody
IPA
GB/mˈɛlədi/
US/mˈɛlədi/
Syllables & stress
melody (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (melody)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: melody
- Plural: melodies, melody
Word family
Forms
melodies
noun
Core family
melodic
adjective
Related words
melodious
adjective C1
melodically
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unmelodious
adjective
Expressions
carry the melody
1/kˈɛɹi ðə mˈɛlədi/
fixed phrase
perform the main tune
To sing or play the main tune in a piece of music while others support you.
Examples
- In this song the violins carry the melody and the rest of the orchestra supports them.
- She doesn’t like to carry the melody; she prefers to sing harmony.
- The lead guitarist carries the melody during the chorus.
melody line
1/mˈɛlədi lˈaɪn/
fixed phrase
technical
the part with the main tune
The part of the music that plays or sings the main tune, not the background parts.
Examples
- The teacher asked the flutes to play only the melody line while the others stayed quiet.
- In this arrangement the melody line is given to the saxophone section.
- She wrote a new melody line over the same chord progression.
vocal melody
1/vˈoʊkəl mˈɛlədi/
fixed phrase
technical
melody sung by the voice
The tune that is sung by the singer, as opposed to the parts played by instruments.
Examples
- The producer asked her to simplify the vocal melody so that it would be easier to sing along.
- The guitar follows the vocal melody in the chorus.
- He wrote the vocal melody first and added the lyrics later.