as in accent
the attractive quality of speech or music that rises and falls in a pleasing pattern
There was a charming lilt to her voice. a tune with a lilt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of lilt
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024
And all of it is held together by a simple but spellbinding melodic lilt.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024
Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Sauvé is extremely soft-spoken, her slight Quebecois accent lilting over the crowd’s hush.
—Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lilt 
Noun
The rhymed verse the characters speak in doesn’t at all hinder them from expressing themselves colloquially, in idioms that sound better with a languorous Southern lilt.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024
And all of it is held together by a simple but spellbinding melodic lilt.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024
Verb
Their small sounds and snuffles were barely audible above the lilting bleeps of incubators in the neonatal ward.
—Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Sauvé is extremely soft-spoken, her slight Quebecois accent lilting over the crowd’s hush.
—Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lilt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lilt
Noun
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About 70% of Americans rely on subtitles to understand actors with heavy accents.Beth Worthy, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
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Speaking of rich furniture accents, Clendenon says touches of Art Deco will be popular in the coming year, specifically in the form of metallics, geometric patterns, and rich velvets.Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Gordon back in black and white — and firing The Gallowgate corner crooned discordantly.George Caulkin, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024
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The cashier then turned to a pair of singing possums played by Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim, crooning The Lion King-style about how the milk comes from… well, a possum’s teat.Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The cadence of the play is clearly off, as Rizzo doesn’t charge and Cole appears to get lost in no man’s land between the pitcher’s mound and first base.Tony Blengino, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
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Enterprises aren’t accustomed to working in that type of cadence and with that type of pace.Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Rita also sings a variety of jazz standards, and in one early scene, brings a crowd to tears warbling an original tune for her 9-year-old son (Elliott Heffernan).Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
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This is the iconic horror baddie he was meant to play, a deeply unnerving dollmaker who warbles with musical malevolence, confounds the law with his Zodiac-like ciphers, and lives for glam rock and killing sprees.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 July 2024
Noun
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The Ravens scored the decisive touchdown — a 51-yard run from Justice Hill — six plays later. Johnston, who struggled with drops as a rookie last year before finding a rhythm in his second pro season, acknowledged a lack of focus at the point of the catch.Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
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Redshirt junior Azzi Fudd, playing just her second game back from an ACL tear suffered last season, found a rhythm with Bueckers in the fourth with the pair connecting on three straight plays for a 7-2 run in the opening minutes.Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The former president's endorsement process has evolved from haphazard to sharp and effective, rendering all other endorsements all but obsolete.Kaleigh Rogers, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2024
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That included everything from off-center parts at Simone Rocha to sharp, contrasting textures at KNWLS.India Espy-Jones, Essence, 21 Sep. 2023
Verb
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Already retailers are looking to keep consumers happy, keep their supply chains humming and keep the lights on.Evan Clark, WWD, 22 Nov. 2024
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The room hummed with tension, a symphony of clicking keyboards and urgent whispers.Sidharth Ramsinghaney, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Any minute now, the mockingbird will trill at me to go to bed.Edan Lepucki, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024
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At dawn, cooing doves and trilling Eurasian blackbirds woke me.Nina Burleigh, New York Times, 21 May 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near lilt
Cite this Entry
“Lilt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lilt. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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