How to Use lilting in a Sentence

lilting

adjective
  • The gal in the lilting dress and the crazy shoes prevails, and books a room.
    — Karen Stabiner, New York Times, 14 June 2018
  • Her lilting voice was as recognizable as her doe eyes and lithe frame.
    — Elaine Aradillas, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2023
  • The swamp soothed her as a mother might, with its cool shade and lilting lullaby.
    — Bridget Crocker june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
  • Once again, a lawmaker this year wants to dethrone the bird known for its lilting sounds.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Yee speaks in a lilting manner, letting her thoughts spill forth freely, stream-of-consciousness style.
    — Monica Kim, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2018
  • But Dunne’s voice, lilting and keening, is rich with empathy.
    — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
  • He was known for his lilting brogue and regaling parishioners with stories about his homeland.
    — al.com, 1 July 2019
  • Malcolm Todd is a rising star with a sweet, lilting voice and a knack for intimate popcraft.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2026
  • The soundtrack is filled with a lilting piano and birdsong; the cameras sweep over the rolling hills and lush greenery.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The lilting Latin songs keep her in touch with Puerto Rico, the home of her birth.
    — Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Dec. 2021
  • The duo’s lilting voices come together over the soft, snapping beat and twinkling synths.
    — Tamar Herman, Billboard, 20 Dec. 2017
  • Mitalipov, who was born in Kazakhstan, is a small, dark-haired man with a lilting accent.
    — Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2023
  • In a lilting Irish piece, the students played the same melody over and over, faster and faster, with flying fingers and bows.
    — Mary Jane Brewer, cleveland, 17 Feb. 2020
  • During lunch you will be entertained by the lilting sounds of a local Oud master.
    — Jim Berkeley, Town & Country, 5 Oct. 2016
  • Hadi bookmarks this at the end, with a lilting shot of Lamia peering into the marshes.
    — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 16 May 2025
  • Reid delivers the deeply romantic verses in a lilting voice.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Reid delivers the deeply romantic verses in a lilting voice.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
  • In his fifties now, Alberto is soft-spoken and lanky, with messy shoulder-length hair and a lilting accent.
    — Anna Russel, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2021
  • Canyon wrens provided a lilting serenade, and butterflies wobbled out from the banks to greet us.
    — Roger Naylor, azcentral, 5 Sep. 2019
  • And the restaurant’s soundtrack — a lilting reggae — stunned me into a slurping silence.
    — Bryan Washington, New York Times, 5 July 2023
  • Wales, meanwhile, sings in slate and soul—its valleys dotted with woolly sheep and echoed by the lilting notes of male voice choirs drifting from chapel doors.
    — Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Dry farmed and organically grown, this sauvignon blanc is zesty, fresh and lilting with lovely notes of wet stone and citrus.
    — Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
  • De Angeli’s light use of olden-day language is lilting and skillful, giving color and depth to the tale.
    — Sarah Schutte, National Review, 20 June 2021
  • Paulette’s lilting voice adds a perfect blend of spice and sugar, adding a mysterious tint to this bright, breezy production.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 17 June 2024
  • Her voice was high and lilting and full of feeling, like a little reed pipe someone might play in a forest to make cartoon animals start to dance.
    — Sam Anderson, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2022
  • One moment he’s stooped forward, childlike with a lilting accent, chasing a young Hassan through stony streets.
    — Naveen Kumar, Vulture, 21 July 2022
  • Mering travels and croons throughout the six-minute clip, intoning the song’s lilting melodies as a lamp-like cardiac organ shines out from her chest.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2023
  • The first violins unfurl a lilting, lightly bopping tune in D minor.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
  • For a little bit of folk salvation, turn to Bon Iver, whose evocative strums and lilting voice speak straight to the soul.
    — Raisa Bruner, Time, 30 May 2018
  • The album had a lilting, soothing quality that was a stark contrast to the frenetic politics of the era.
    — Edward Kiersh, SPIN, 11 Feb. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lilting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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