Melodious
adjective /mɪˈləʊdɪəs/ — Pleasantly musical in sound — tuneful and sweet to the ear.
Definition
Having or producing a pleasant musical sound; pleasantly musical; having a quality of melody and tune that is pleasing to hear.
Beyond the definition
Melodious is the word for sound that seems designed to please — voices, music, the particular combining of sounds into something the ear follows with pleasure. A melodious voice is one you want to keep listening to.
Origin & history
From Greek melōdia — choral song (from melos: song + aoidos: singer, from aeidein: to sing). Song-like — having the quality of song even outside of song.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She had a melodious voice that made even administrative information sound interesting.
The stream was melodious in its way — the particular sound of water over stones organized into something pleasing.
A melodious phrase doesn't just carry meaning; it carries the meaning in a way the ear wants.
Synonyms
tuneful, musical, harmonious, dulcet, mellifluous
Antonyms
discordant, harsh, cacophonous, grating
Related words
- dulcet
- mellifluous
- sonorous
- euphonious
Compare this word
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Anticipating Musical Sound
An adult sits at a piano, hands hovering above the keys in a quiet, still room, ready to play.
The potential for music at the piano represents the promise of a melodious sound, capturing the anticipatory beauty of music. The stillness emphasizes how the pleasant, melodic quality of a tune exists as a potential to be unlocked by the musician's touch.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration