as in song
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
a haunting ballad about lost love and loneliness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ballad
But the finest recording by pop’s greatest ballad singer is also a story about Houston’s lifelong drive to bring herself into being.
—
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025
Highlights included Lady Gaga debuting an emotional piano ballad she and fiancé Michael Polansky penned just for the night.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025
Maybe, kinda, but only when the tempo slackens for the album’s final two ballads.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2025
The swoon-worthy ballad is Gaga’s sixth Hot 100 leader and Mars’ ninth.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ballad 
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025
Highlights included Lady Gaga debuting an emotional piano ballad she and fiancé Michael Polansky penned just for the night.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025
Maybe, kinda, but only when the tempo slackens for the album’s final two ballads.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2025
The swoon-worthy ballad is Gaga’s sixth Hot 100 leader and Mars’ ninth.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ballad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballad
Noun
-
Watch Sandler's full song, featuring Rosenthal's cameo, above.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
17 Feb. 2025
-
The Blues Brothers bustled through two more songs (three total — just like Chalamet).—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Samberg hilariously jumped in to sing the Bradley Cooper half of the duet, but botched both the high notes and the lyrics before giving up.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Natalie Morales: And some of the lyrics — just excruciating.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The hymn originated as a poem written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, with its verses paired with music composed by Johnson’s brother, John Rosamond Johnson.—
Gail Mitchell,
Billboard,
9 Feb. 2025
-
The hymn was first written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in the late 1800s.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
To naysayers, Lamar was too verbose, too political, too obscure for pop music’s biggest stage, which has typically featured culturally safe icons belting universally beloved anthems to the stadium rafters.—
Andrew R. Chow,
TIME,
10 Feb. 2025
-
To be able to sing the anthem in my hometown was an honor, but to sing it for my team takes it out of this world.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
From there, the tribute would feature the Soul Rebels, Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band, the Spirit of New Orleans Gospel Choir and — of course — a return of Connick to add some of his vocals and musicality to the mix as the tribute drew to a close.—
Jim Harrington,
The Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Of those, 10 came with vocals from late singer Chester Bennington or rapper/singer Mike Shinoda, while new vocalist Emily Armstrong has taken the reins of the two most recent rulers alongside Shinoda.—
Kevin Rutherford,
Billboard,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The siblings made their appearance at Intuit after midnight (and after 3 a.m. ET), not to wake up sleepy viewers but to offer them a lullaby with a three-song acoustic set.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2025
-
Sounds include white noise, lullabies, bird chirps and upbeat tunes.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ballad
Cite this Entry
“Ballad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballad. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share