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Glite Dictionary
as sweet as a songbird

as sweet as a songbird

5.4
Very pleasant and musical to hear like a singing bird
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : tan dulce como un canario
  • Her voice was as sweet as a songbird during the performance.

Examples

  • The child's singing voice was as sweet as a songbird and charmed the audience.

  • The melody of the piano was as sweet as a songbird.

  • He played the violin as sweet as a songbird, making everyone stop to listen.

  • Her laughter was as sweet as a songbird, lighting up the whole room.

  • Her laughter was as sweet as a songbird, lighting up the whole room.

  • The child's singing voice was as sweet as a songbird and charmed the audience.

  • He played the violin as sweet as a songbird, making everyone stop to listen.

Synonyms

sweet
vsas sweet as a songbird
58 1.1

Pleasing to the ear, like a soft melody

is more intensely pleasant and likelier to be strikingly melodic
melodious
vsas sweet as a songbird
7 4.0

Has a pleasant, musical sound

is more strongly focused on intense sweetness and exceptional pleasantness
mellifluous
vsas sweet as a songbird
  • Formal
4 8.5

A smooth, sweet sound that is pleasant to hear

is sweeter and conveys a higher degree of charming pleasantness
honeyed
vsas sweet as a songbird
1 6.4

Having a smooth, sweet sound that is pleasant to hear

is more strongly about extreme pleasantness and birdlike melody
songful
vsas sweet as a songbird
  • Literature
6.1

A sound that is clear and pleasant like someone singing

is more intensely pleasant and extremely melodious
mellisonant
vsas sweet as a songbird
  • Formal
9.9

A pleasant, sweet sound that is nice to hear

is sweeter and stresses extreme pleasantness rather than just smoothness
songlike
vsas sweet as a songbird
5.3

Having a clear tune like someone singing

is more intensely pleasant and more clearly melodious than mere similarity

Antonyms

harsh
47 3.9

Very strong and unpleasant to the senses, like bright light or bitter taste

discordant
9 7.4

Not fitting together and often clashing in sound or opinion

How Pleasant

as sweet as a songbird
  • Informal
5.4
delightful
202 2.0
charming
418 1.0
pleasing
63 2.0
pleasant
314 1.0

Surface Forms

as sweet as a songbird positive

Morphology

as + sweet + as + a + songbird

The phrase is a straightforward simile: combining the adjective 'sweet' with the comparative frame 'as...as' and the familiar noun 'songbird' yields the meaning 'very pleasant or melodious' directly from its parts. This compositional, cross-linguistically common pattern makes the sense immediately inferable for a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

As sweet as a songbird may come from the clear, gentle singing of small birds. Imagine a tiny songbird making a pure, lovely tune. Calling someone as sweet as a songbird compares their voice or laugh to that pleasant sound, so it means 'very pleasant or musical'.