musician

noun

myü-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce musician (audio)
Definition of musiciannext
1
as in instrumentalist
a person who plays a musical instrument the violinist was a famous and exquisitely talented musician

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in composer
a person who writes musical compositions that musician is known for having written music that is very difficult to perform

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of musician The musicians included long-time collaborator guitarist Al Schackman, bassist Chris White, and drummer Rob Hamilton. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 So he was banned in East Germany but a best-selling musician in the West. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026 Another person that Gallagher was thrilled to meet was Matthew McConaughey, according to the musician. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026 The musician, whom Moore shares with her husband Bartholomew Freundlich, wed Kibriyaá Morgan, 28, on October 8 at Brooklyn Borough Hall. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for musician
Recent Examples of Synonyms for musician
  1. instrumentalist
  2. composer
  3. artist
Noun
  • The disagreement led to a contentious back-and-forth before acclaimed singer/instrumentalist Meshell Ndegeocello approached the stage to calm Glasper and offer him a drink.
    — William E. Ketchum III, VIBE.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Brown made history as the first woman musician to win an instrumentalist of the year honor from the IBMA when she was named banjo player of the year in 1991.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of instrumentalist
Noun
  • Rent played its first preview off-Broadway, at the New York Theatre Workshop, on January 25, 1996—the same day that Jonathan Larson, its 35-year-old composer and librettist, died suddenly at his home in Manhattan.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Blues and ragtime supplied a largely Black musical language that helped American composers break free of European operetta, even as jazz performers then gave them a life beyond the theatre.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of composer
Noun
  • The Ohio artist’s first album in four years is paranoid, indulgent, and theatrical, unfolding like a dark romantasy novel.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The artist attended the University of Southern California for a year in 1959.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of artist

Browse Nearby Words

music halls
musician
musicians
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Musician.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/musician. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wraith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All