Musical

Skilled in, sensitive to, or strongly interested in music.

Reach for it when praising a person's ear, understanding, or performing ability

The musical child could remember a tune after hearing it once.

• everyday

  talented

  when notable ability deserves broad praise

  not when Talented is not music-specific and can overcredit innate ability.

• warm

  music-loving

  when enthusiasm matters more than performance skill

  not when Love of music does not establish an accurate ear or technical ability.

• warm

  musically gifted

  when unusual natural aptitude is genuinely supported

  not when Gifted can erase training and sets a higher threshold than musical.

• warm

  tuneful

  when a person or performance reliably produces clear melody

  not when Tuneful describes output and does not cover knowledge or sensitivity.

• professional

  musicianly

  when judgment and behavior reflect an accomplished musician

  not when Musicianly is uncommon and more specific than generally musical.

Pleasantly patterned in sound like music.

Reach for it when describing a voice, language, or sound with pleasing pitch and rhythm

Her musical speaking voice made the long passage easy to follow.

• warm

  melodious

  when sound is pleasant and songlike

  not when Melodious concerns pleasant sound, not musical skill.

• professional

  rhythmic

  when patterned timing creates the musical effect

  not when Rhythm alone can be harsh or mechanical.

• formal

  euphonious

  when combinations of sounds are pleasing to the ear

  not when Euphonious is technical and says nothing about melody or skill.

• literary

  lilting

  when a buoyant rise and fall makes sound appealing

  not when Lilting implies a specific light rhythm and can stereotype an accent.

• literary

  mellifluous

  when smooth, rich flow is the exact quality

  not when Mellifluous is ornate and can overstate a simple pleasant voice.

• unmusical
• tone-deaf
• discordant

• musical ability

  Her musical ability includes careful listening as well as performance.

• highly musical

  The highly musical arranger notices how each voice carries a phrase.

• musical voice

  His musical voice rises gently at the end of each sentence.

• musical sound

  Water passing through the stone channels makes a musical sound.

• Musicality n.

Tone-deaf is a literal hearing-related term and is also used figuratively in ways that can stigmatize disability; insensitive is clearer for social criticism.

• merriam-webster, adjective sense 1: fond of, talented in, or skilled at music ↗opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
• merriam-webster, adjective sense 2: having the pleasing qualities of music ↗opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · 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.