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Synonyms

ballad

American  
[bal-uhd] / ˈbæl əd /

noun

  1. any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody.

  2. a simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas and adapted for singing.

  3. any poem written in similar style.

  4. the music for a ballad.

  5. a sentimental or romantic popular song.

ballad British  
/ ˈbæləd /

noun

  1. a narrative song with a recurrent refrain

  2. a narrative poem in short stanzas of popular origin, originally sung to a repeated tune

  3. a slow sentimental song, esp a pop song

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ballad 1 Cultural  

  1. A simple narrative song, or a narrative poem suitable for singing. The ballad usually has a short stanza, such as:

    There are twelve months in all the year,

    As I hear many men say,

    But the merriest month in all the year

    Is the merry month of May.

ballad 2 Cultural  

  1. A simple narrative song, or, alternatively, a narrative poem suitable for singing. (See under “Conventions of Written English.”)

Other Word Forms

  • balladic adjective
  • balladlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of ballad

1350–1400; Middle English balade < Middle French < Old Provençal balada dance, dancing-song, equivalent to bal ( ar ) to dance (< Late Latin ballāre; ball 2 ) + -ada -ade 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The ballad is from Grimes’ self-titled country album which was released last year.

From Los Angeles Times

Raye, who scooped six awards last time she was at the Brits in 2024, performed a re-imagined version of her hit Where Is My Husband! - before diving into her new soul ballad, Nightingale Lane.

From BBC

The Scottish star, whose stunning voice and delicate folk ballads earned them a Mercury Prize nomination last year, is also set to perform at the ceremony.

From BBC

There were unmistakable echoes of his old group in the whirlwind medley of the title track and the honey-dripping ballad “Bluebird.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Love becomes more mournful on “Harbor Lights,” the first of two ballads on the LP: “One way ticket and a runaway heart / A sailor’s dream came true the night I dreamed you.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.