musical

The word “musical” means relating to music, or produced by music. In plain terms, to do with music, pleasant-sounding, or (as a noun) a singing-and-dancing stage show.

“Musical” is pronounced MYOO-zih-kuhl (/ˈmju.zɪ.kəl/ in IPA).

Here is “musical” used in a sentence: “The film has a strong musical score that carries much of the emotion.”

Depending on how it is used, “musical” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “musical” comes from Latin. From Old French, ultimately from Latin musica ("music") plus the adjective-forming suffix -al.

“Musical” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Musical” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: relating to music, or produced by music.

'Music' is the noun — the art form or the sounds themselves. 'Musical' is usually the adjective, meaning relating to or produced by music, as in 'a musical instrument.' Confusingly, 'musical' is also a noun in its own right, naming a stage or film production built around songs.

When someone is described as musical, it means they have a natural talent, sensitivity, or ear for music — they can sing, play an instrument, or appreciate melody with ease. It describes an aptitude rather than a fact about sound, so it works as a genuine compliment about ability.

A musical is a type of play or film in which the story is told partly through songs and often dance, with music woven into the plot. It differs from a straight play, which relies only on spoken dialogue, and from an opera, which is almost entirely sung.

You might say 'she comes from a musical family,' meaning music runs through it, or 'the wind chimes made a musical sound,' meaning tuneful and pleasant. In both cases the word links something directly to music or to a melodic, harmonious quality that is nice to hear.