Canorous
adj.joyful, calmliterary
What it means
Pleasantly musical and melodious in sound.
Reach for it when giving rare, elevated praise to a voice, instrument, or natural sound
A canorous flute phrase floated above the low strings.
Choose between these
5- everyday
the sound has pleasing musical qualities
not when Musical may concern skill or structure without praising beauty of tone.
- everyday
a clear, pleasant tune is easy to follow
not when Tuneful does not fit speech or a single resonant note.
- formal
a pleasing sequence of musical notes is central
not when Melodious is clearer but less distinctive when an elevated literary tone is wanted.
- literary
the sound flows with smooth sweetness
not when Mellifluous can imply silky flow where canorous only requires pleasing music.
- literary
sonorous
the sound is full, deep, and resonant
not when Sonorous is wrong for a light, sweet sound with little depth.
Said against
4- discordant
- harsh
- tuneless
- cacophonous
It naturally appears in
4- canorous voice
Her canorous voice carried comfortably to the back row.
- canorous tone
The wooden flute produced a canorous tone at low volume.
- canorous song
A canorous song rose from the reeds before sunrise.
- canorous melody
The canorous melody returned in the final movement.
Where this comes from
Canorous is current but rare; melodious is usually clearer in everyday prose.
- merriam-webster, adjective sense 1 opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.