soprano

1 of 2

adjective

so·​pra·​no sə-ˈpra-(ˌ)nō  -ˈprä- 

: relating to or having the range or part of a soprano

soprano

2 of 2

noun

plural sopranos

1

: the highest singing voice of women or boys and formerly of castrati

also : a person having this voice

2

: the highest voice part in a 4-part chorus

3

: a member of a family of instruments having the highest range

Examples of soprano in a Sentence

Noun

She sings in a high soprano.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The request asked for female singers aged 17 to 22 with brown hair who could resemble legendary American-Greek soprano Maria Callas. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024

Company music director Eun Sun Kim conducts this opera of epic romance, with two top international artists — tenor Simon O’Neill and soprano Anja Kampe — in the title roles. —Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2024

Jolie portrays the legendary soprano during the final years of her life in 1970s Paris. —Violet Goldstone, WWD, 30 Sep. 2024

Also on the program will be Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings and the New York premiere of Reena Esmail’s The History of Red, a piece for chamber orchestra and soprano inspired in part by Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. —Jane Levere, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Italian, adjective & noun, from sopra above, from Latin supra — more at supra-

First Known Use

Adjective

1730, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1738, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing soprano

• mezzo-soprano

Kids Definition

soprano

1 of 2 adjective

so·​pra·​no sə-ˈpran-ō  -ˈprän- 

1

: relating to the soprano voice or part

2

: having a high range

soprano sax

soprano

2 of 2 noun

plural sopranos

1

: the highest voice part in harmony for four parts with men's and women's voices compare alto sense 1b, bass entry 2 sense 1a, tenor sense 2a

2

: the highest singing voice of women or boys

also : a person with this voice

Etymology

Adjective

from Italian soprano "relating to a soprano or soprano part," from sopra "above," from Latin supra "above"