soprano

/səˈprænoʊ/

/səˈprɑnəʊ/

Other forms: sopranos; soprani

The opera performer with the highest voice is a soprano. A soprano is usually a woman, and she can hit the high notes.

A woman who sings at the highest register is one kind of soprano, and her singing voice itself can also be called a soprano. Sometimes high-voiced male singers are described this way too, although it's more common to call them countertenors, or to describe their singing voices as falsetto. Soprano is an Italian word that means "the treble in music," or "high," from sopra, or "above."

Definitions of soprano

1. noun

   the highest female voice; the voice of a boy before puberty
   type of:

   singing voice

   the musical quality of the voice while singing
2. noun

   a female singer
   examples:

   Eileen Farrell

   United States operatic soprano noted for the clarity and power of her voice (1920-2002)

   Swedish Nightingale

   Swedish soprano who toured the United States under the management of P. T. Barnum (1820-1887)

   Marta Brigit Nilsson

   Swedish operatic soprano who played Wagnerian roles (born in 1918)

   Jessye Norman

   United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)

   Rosa Melba Ponselle

   United States soprano (1897-1981)

   Mary Leontyne Price

   United States operatic soprano (born 1927)

   Belle Miriam Silverman

   United States operatic soprano (born in 1929)

   Dame Joan Sutherland

   Australian operatic soprano (born in 1926)

   Renata Tebaldi

   Italian operatic soprano (born in 1922)

   Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa

   New Zealand operatic soprano (born in 1944)

   Helen Traubel

   United States operatic soprano (1903-1972)

   types:

   coloratura, coloratura soprano

   a lyric soprano who specializes in coloratura vocal music

   mezzo, mezzo-soprano

   a soprano with a voice between soprano and contralto

   type of:

   singer, vocaliser, vocalist, vocalizer

   a person who sings
3. noun

   the pitch range of the highest female voice
   synonyms: treble

   type of:

   pitch

   the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
4. adjective

   having or denoting a high range
   “soprano voice”

   “soprano sax”

   synonyms: treble

   high, high-pitched

   used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency