Lyrically
adv.joyful, thoughtfulliterary
What it means
With expressive beauty, musical cadence, or poetic feeling.
Reach for it when describing how language, music, or movement conveys emotion
The violin stated the simple theme lyrically and without excess.
Choose between these
6- everyday
musically
pleasing rhythm or phrasing is evident
not when Musically may describe technical correctness instead of poetic feeling.
- warm
fluidly
smooth continuous movement deserves emphasis
not when Fluidly says nothing about emotion or beauty.
- professional
expressively
clear emotional communication matters most
not when Expressively can be sharp or raw rather than lyrical.
- professional
melodically
the sequence of pitches is the focus
not when Melodically is limited to music and ignores verbal imagery.
- literary
poetically
imagery and figurative language shape the expression
not when Poetically need not involve musical rhythm.
- literary
rhapsodically
intense enthusiasm suits the elevated passage
not when Rhapsodically can imply uncontrolled praise.
Said against
3- prosaically
- awkwardly
- flatly
It naturally appears in
3- sing lyrically
The alto could sing lyrically even at a quiet volume.
- write lyrically
He chose to write lyrically about work most people overlooked.
- move lyrically
The dancers move lyrically through the final slow section.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- merriam-webster, adverb, single sense 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.