coloratura
noun
col·or·a·tu·ra
ˌkə-lə-rə-ˈtu̇r-ə 
-ˈtyu̇r-
often attributive
1
: elaborate embellishment in vocal music
broadly
: music with ornate figuration
2
: a soprano with a light agile voice specializing in coloratura
Examples of coloratura in a Sentence
a performance without much coloratura
Recent Examples on the Web
Many arias from the 1800s include repeated verses to give the singers the opportunity to show off their coloratura skills by embellishing the sections of the songs the second time around.
—
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
From the sixteenth century through the early twentieth, their coloratura runs and trills touched the frescoed ceilings of the great basilicas.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Pitch, resonance, and intonation can all be reshaped: men tend to a narrow range and flat melody, women to coloratura leaps and flourishes, turning thought into small songs.
—James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
She is gifted with a lovely color of a lyric soprano suitable for roles in the spectrum from a lyric, lyric coloratura to a soubrette.
—Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 2025
Born in Portland, Maine, to Lucille Potter Lavin, who was once a coloratura soprano opera singer onstage and on the radio, Lavin first took the stage at the age of 5.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 30 Dec. 2024
A great deal of the plot was devoted to the Phantom’s attempts to replace Carlotta, a fussy coloratura soprano with a thick Italian accent, with his beloved Christine.
—Vulture, 28 Mar. 2023
Her mother, Lucille, was a coloratura soprano and radio personality who sang with Paul Whiteman’s band, and her father, David, owned a furniture business.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
From the sixteenth century through the early twentieth, their coloratura runs and trills touched the frescoed ceilings of the great basilicas.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Pitch, resonance, and intonation can all be reshaped: men tend to a narrow range and flat melody, women to coloratura leaps and flourishes, turning thought into small songs.
—James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
She is gifted with a lovely color of a lyric soprano suitable for roles in the spectrum from a lyric, lyric coloratura to a soubrette.
—Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 2025
Born in Portland, Maine, to Lucille Potter Lavin, who was once a coloratura soprano opera singer onstage and on the radio, Lavin first took the stage at the age of 5.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 30 Dec. 2024
A great deal of the plot was devoted to the Phantom’s attempts to replace Carlotta, a fussy coloratura soprano with a thick Italian accent, with his beloved Christine.
—Vulture, 28 Mar. 2023
Her mother, Lucille, was a coloratura soprano and radio personality who sang with Paul Whiteman’s band, and her father, David, owned a furniture business.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Coloratura.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coloratura. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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