melody

noun

mel·​o·​dy ˈme-lə-dē 

plural melodies

1

: a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds

whilst all the winds with melody are ringing

—P. B. Shelley

2

: a rhythmic succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole

a hummable melody

the piper's fingers play the melody on a pipe called a chanter

—Pat Cahill

melodic

mə-ˈlä-dik 

adjective

melodically

mə-ˈlä-di-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• air
• lay
• song
• strain
• tune
• warble

Examples of melody in a Sentence

He wrote a piece that includes some beautiful melodies.

a composer known for his love of melody

He sang a few old melodies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Two of Jason Kelce’s former NFL teammates join him in the melodies, along with Boyz II Men. —Andrew Torgan, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024

Anyway, featuring Chris Stapleton, begins to play, Hoss, a cross between a poodle and a Bernese mountain dog, immediately reacts and turns to his owner, clearly recognizing the melody. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

The band played simply, framing the melody without drawing attention to itself, and Johnson was present when Underwood came into the studio later to overdub her part. —Tom Roland, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024

But by the 20-second mark, Lesh is doing his typical galloping runs under the melody and coming out during rests in the chorus for some giddy yap fills. —Jordan Hoffman, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English melodie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin melodia, from Greek melōidia chanting, music, from melos limb, musical phrase, song (probably akin to Breton mell joint) + aeidein to sing — more at ode

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

melody

noun

mel·​o·​dy ˈmel-əd-ē 

plural melodies

1

: a pleasing succession of sounds

2

: a series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect

3

: the leading part in a musical composition involving harmony