ditty

noun

dit·​ty ˈdi-tē 

plural ditties

: an especially simple and unaffected song

Synonyms

• ballad
• jingle
• lay
• lyric
• song
• vocal

Examples of ditty in a Sentence

Play us a little ditty.

sung a little ditty in a minor key

Recent Examples on the Web

The record’s new-wave ditties are an amalgamation of strange but immediately identifiable components, chimeras of ’60s pop à la Lesley Gore and the frenzied shred of a skateboarding compilation. —Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024

In a minute-long video posted to the app on Nov. 24, Oliver Richman, 24, posted a quick ditty as part of his personal challenge to write a song every day. —Sara Belcher, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024

Everything that ditty represented reflects the new Lexus interface. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2024

If Mike Myers hadn’t created Austin Powers — whose series of films employs this instrumental ditty as a theme — somebody would’ve had to have come up with a similar character just to take advantage of the song’s limitless swag. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ditee, from Anglo-French dité story, song, from past participle of diter to compose, from Latin dictare to dictate, compose

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ditty

• ditty bag
• ditty box

Kids Definition

ditty

noun

dit·​ty ˈdit-ē 

plural ditties

: a short simple song