lively tune

1 2.5

A cheerful piece of music with a quick, happy beat

noun

: melodía animada

The band played a lively tune that got everyone dancing.

Examples

A German "oompah" band strikes up lively tunes that will make you want to sing along or get up and join the dancers for a polka.

Academic text (1995)
Ever since then, haunting and lively tunes have flowed through our home.

Academic text (2002)
She again drinks her whole shot of Wild Turkey and holds up her glass as the band strikes up a lively tune.

Fiction book (1991)
As the sun set, the children sang along to a lively tune that filled the air with joy.
At the party, the DJ announced a lively tune, and the crowd erupted in excitement.

Synonyms

uptempo

vslively tune

1 4.6

A fast, lively song that makes people want to dance

is more about cheerful spirit rather than pure speed

upbeat track

vslively tune

1 3.2

A lively, cheerful piece of music with a fast beat that makes people want to dance

is focused on the general spirited mood over tempo emphasis

tinkety-tonk

vslively tune

9.9

A light cheerful sound like small bells or a music box

is a complete cheerful musical piece rather than only a light ringing sound

Antonyms

sad

842 1.0

Bad or unfortunate and likely to make people feel unhappy

Surface Forms

lively tune singular

lively tunes plural

Morphology

lively + tune

The meaning 'a cheerful and spirited piece of music' is directly and compositionally derived from 'lively' (energetic, spirited) + 'tune' (melody). This adjective+noun combination follows ordinary English compounding and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the phrase meaning.

Etymology

Lively tune paints a simple picture: lively means full of life and energy and tune is a short song, so imagine a quick, bright melody that makes people clap or dance. That's why a lively tune means 'a cheerful and spirited piece of music'.