falsetto

1 of 2

noun

fal·​set·​to fȯl-ˈse-(ˌ)tō 

plural falsettos

1

: an artificially high voice

especially : an artificially produced singing voice that overlaps and extends above the range of the full voice especially of a tenor

2

: a singer who uses falsetto

falsetto

2 of 2

adverb

: in falsetto

Examples of falsetto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Maxwell’s falsetto is just as strong as it’s always been, and his backup singers held his voice in a feathery bed of their own voices, making all the classic songs float. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024

Jelly Roll Five years ago Jelly Roll was a rapping falsetto crooner slowly embracing his vocal gift. —Marcus K. Dowling, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024

Adverb

The Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood knows how to pair a high-flying falsetto vocal with a gut-rumbling low-end synth line. —John Adamian, courant.com, 18 June 2018

Across those three tracks, Timberlake fashioned a new sound with the Neptunes, the production duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, shedding his pop-singer sheen for dirty drums, falsetto vocal runs, and, notably, guitar. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian, from diminutive of falso false, from Latin falsus

First Known Use

Noun

1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1940, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

falsetto

noun

fal·​set·​to

fȯl-ˈset-ō

plural falsettos

: an artificially high voice