lyricism

noun

lyr·​i·​cism ˈlir-ə-ˌsi-zəm 

1

: the quality or state of being lyric : songfulness

The important part of his anthology 100 Modern Poems is the foreign verse, showing the French influence on our symbolism, the Celtic influence (Yeats, Dylan Thomas) on our lyricism.

—Peter Viereck

2

a

: an intense personal quality expressive of feeling or emotion in an art (such as poetry or music)

… a muse that brought out the lyricism in innumerable writers.

—Erich Segal

b

: exuberance

[Thomas] Wolfe is the sort of author who inspires lyricism or invective, not judicious interpretation

—Time

3

: the words of a song : lyrics

witty lyricism

Despite her spitfire raps and devil-may-care persona, Lee's lyricism is surprisingly sensitive, proving the rapper to be wise beyond her years.

—Gladys Yeo

Renaissance, Beyoncé's seventh album, was a seductive club banger with heady lyricism and deep tributes to the queer community.

—CT Jones

Examples of lyricism in a Sentence

the lyricism of his paintings

Recent Examples on the Web

They are mangled, bottled spiders of venom with humor and cutting, biting Irish lyricism. —Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 June 2025

There is a familiar lyricism to the way that Davies Jr., working with cinematographer Jermaine Edwards, opens his film. —Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025

Affleck’s choices span generations and styles, from the gritty storytelling of Slick Rick and the pioneering West Coast swagger of Eazy-E, to the prolific lyricism of Lil Wayne and the Pulitzer Prize-winning artistry of Kendrick Lamar. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Apr. 2025

There’s a gruff lyricism to the performance that’s entrancing even when Elmer is standing up in a coffin. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lyricism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism