as in songs
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
a haunting ballad about lost love and loneliness
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ballads
The group also stood out from the pack in its projection of feminist strength; while many TRL-era starlets released moony-eyed ballads declaring devotion to their men, Destiny’s Child seemed far more comfortable singing about demanding more from them, or not needing them at all.
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Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Dec. 2024
Since the first Disney feature animation in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, these songs have taken on a myriad of forms, from silly tunes about cleaning up to dramatic ballads concerning a primal human need for something more.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
Grande and Erivo give Stephen Schwartz’s songs — comedy numbers, introspective ballads, power anthems — effortless spontaneity.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2024
That boy might be a hip-hop lover, that boy might be a rock lover or love ballads.
—Jeff Benjamin, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2024
Because Wisdom, from Havana (a tiny suburb of Tallahassee), fuses the tropical bounce of Florida street rap with the tenderness in the ballads of Southern and Midwestern truth-tellers.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2024
Payne’s inflections shined the most on ballads like these, where there was nothing but vocals and guitars.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024
In that short span of time, the rock guitarist, singer and composer became one of the most successful and influential musicians of his era – blending rock, soul, blues and jazz into complex ballads that would transform popular music.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
One glance at her iconic artistry reveals a legendary discography of soulful ballads that position her as one of the most influential voices in R&B.
—Kenneth J. Williams Jr., Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Dec. 2024
Since the first Disney feature animation in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, these songs have taken on a myriad of forms, from silly tunes about cleaning up to dramatic ballads concerning a primal human need for something more.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
Grande and Erivo give Stephen Schwartz’s songs — comedy numbers, introspective ballads, power anthems — effortless spontaneity.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2024
That boy might be a hip-hop lover, that boy might be a rock lover or love ballads.
—Jeff Benjamin, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2024
Because Wisdom, from Havana (a tiny suburb of Tallahassee), fuses the tropical bounce of Florida street rap with the tenderness in the ballads of Southern and Midwestern truth-tellers.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2024
Payne’s inflections shined the most on ballads like these, where there was nothing but vocals and guitars.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024
In that short span of time, the rock guitarist, singer and composer became one of the most successful and influential musicians of his era – blending rock, soul, blues and jazz into complex ballads that would transform popular music.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
One glance at her iconic artistry reveals a legendary discography of soulful ballads that position her as one of the most influential voices in R&B.
—Kenneth J. Williams Jr., Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballads
Noun
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Dylan played two acoustic songs at Newport following his electric set.Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
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Here are the 30 best songs and 20 best albums of 2024.Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Evita features lyrics by Rice and music by Lloyd Webber.Greg Evans, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
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What the three of them have in common to me is a completely seamless, effortless vacillation between the most dark and depressing [lyrics] and the absolute silliest and funniest.Jem Aswad, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Now, Shimmy’s druggy earworms and tropical two-step anthems are the gold standard of South Florida rap.Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
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Deadheads were blown away during the first residency by four-hour shows that perfectly blended the group’s beloved hippie anthems with high-resolution digital psychedelia projected onto the one-of-a-kind venue’s immersive dome.Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Icky Thump, their sixth and final studio album, won best alternative music album and the title track took home the award for best rock performance by a duo or group with vocals at the 50th annual Grammys.Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 10 Dec. 2024
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For that swagger, go no further than the title track, where Lou Gramm's soulful vocals transform quite rudimentary lyrics into an impassioned and commanding anthem.Darryn King, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near ballads
Cite this Entry
“Ballads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballads. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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