lilting

1 6.0

A light, rhythmic sound or way of speaking that feels gentle

adjective
/ˈlɪltɪŋ/

: melódico

And he speaks in just the gentlest, most lilting, Welsh inflected accent, like he's just mesmerizing to listen to you.

One person was not soothed by Obama's lilting cadence.

Examples

As the child danced, her movements were lilting, capturing everyone's attention with their graceful rhythm.
One person was not soothed by Obama's lilting cadence.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The singer's voice had a lilting quality that made the song feel light and joyful.
His lilting speech made even the simplest stories sound enchanting and pleasant to listen to.

Synonyms

mellifluous

vslilting

Formal

4 8.5

A smooth, sweet sound that is pleasant to hear

focuses on light rhythmic bounce rather than smooth musical sweetness

swingy

vslilting

1 7.4

A lively beat or flowing movement that makes you want to dance

is lighter and more gently rhythmic rather than strongly flowing

swinging

vslilting

1 3.5

Lively movement or music with a steady beat

is gentler and lighter in rhythm rather than energetic and forceful

tripping

vslilting

5.5

Moving or sounding in a light, quick, and graceful way

is more about pleasant gentle rhythm rather than only graceful movement

Antonyms

harsh

47 3.9

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

monotonous

14 5.3

Something that is boring because it has no variety

How Rhythmic

lilting

1 6.0

rhythmic

42 3.6

measured

Specialized

4.8

flat

297 4.4

Surface Forms

lilting positive

Morphology

lilting = lilt (transparent) = lilt + ing

Formed by the productive suffix '-ing' attached to 'lilt', so the relation and resulting meaning are straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Lilting comes from the short word lilt, which probably imitates the sound of a 'light, rising song'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a 'lilt' as a small 'lift' or 'light' movement in the voice, and that's why lilting describes a pleasantly light, rhythmic tune or way of speaking.