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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Recent Examples of ballads
Brown-Cepeda, who is from northern Manhattan and has family in the Dominican Republic, said the plaza is known as a source of joy, where people dance to heart-wrenching ballads of bachata artists and upbeat accordions of regional Dominican music.
—
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2025
But the emotional disconnect is impossible to overcome in a show that's almost entirely sentimental ballads.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2025
One of the greatest ballads of not just John’s catalogue but of all time.
—Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
This is the closest John — notoriously a drama queen who made a career of sad-sack ballads — gets to being maudlin on his album with Brandi Carlile, who’s a co-writer here but not a musician.
—Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Comic pastiche gives way to tender romantic ballads only to explode in musical psychodrama.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
Chamberlain also had a brief, yet successful, period as a recording artist, mostly romantic ballads, and was nominated for a Grammy.
—Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2025
Between her smoky voice and cooing ballads, Roberta Flack distinguished herself as a soulful standout.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
The group, known for their slow jams and heartfelt ballads, met with lawmakers on Valentines Day eve to deliver a letter signed by more than 300 artists calling for swift passage of the American Music Fairness Act.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2025
But the emotional disconnect is impossible to overcome in a show that's almost entirely sentimental ballads.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2025
One of the greatest ballads of not just John’s catalogue but of all time.
—Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
This is the closest John — notoriously a drama queen who made a career of sad-sack ballads — gets to being maudlin on his album with Brandi Carlile, who’s a co-writer here but not a musician.
—Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Comic pastiche gives way to tender romantic ballads only to explode in musical psychodrama.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
Chamberlain also had a brief, yet successful, period as a recording artist, mostly romantic ballads, and was nominated for a Grammy.
—Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2025
Between her smoky voice and cooing ballads, Roberta Flack distinguished herself as a soulful standout.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
The group, known for their slow jams and heartfelt ballads, met with lawmakers on Valentines Day eve to deliver a letter signed by more than 300 artists calling for swift passage of the American Music Fairness Act.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballads
Noun
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Then there are also so many quintessential pop hits and Top 40 songs that blow it through the roof.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
27 Dec. 2024
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While 143—now titled 1432—and the several singles that were spun off of the project are nowhere to be found on the charts in the United Kingdom at the moment, Perry does appear on multiple rankings in the country that focus only on popular songs.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Lawson not only conceived the tribute project and created its cover art (strips of Velvet song lyrics collaged into the shape of a bird in flight) but used to perform with Velvet and has a rare understanding of his songwriting style.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
12 Apr. 2025
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Their music taught me how to put lyrics to the feeling of love.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Baez, whose anthems helped to score the 1960s civil rights movement, has long combined her music career with activism.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
13 Mar. 2025
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Black Label Society is accustomed to delivering hard-hitting, riff-heavy anthems, but this week, the band achieves something brand new.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Chic dissolved shortly after, but Anderson went on to sing backing vocals on many of the songs Rodgers wrote and produced, including ones by Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Bryan Adams, and Mick Jagger.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
23 Dec. 2024
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Along with the obviously wonderful vocals, there’s so much alchemy with the great instrumental parts by the Funk Brothers, with James Jamerson on bass and Robert White on guitar, contributing these incredible musical licks.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
23 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ballads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballads. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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