Music in Our Schools Month: Vocabulary from the Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, Volume II

Not to toot our own horn, but this collection is sure to strike a chord with music lovers. We’ve remixed noteworthy biographies, pitch-perfect fiction, catchy song lyrics, and essential music terminology. These vocabulary lists will be music to your ears!
10 words 76 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. thrall
    the state of being under the control of another person
    Always in thrall most
    To anything, almost
    Or something asleep
    -"Agony," Into the Woods
  2. rapturous
    feeling great delight
    The child is so sweet
    And the girls are so rapturous
    Isn't it lovely how artists can capture us?
    -"Children and Art," Sunday in the Park with George
  3. supple
    moving and bending with ease
    Grandmother first, then Miss Plump...
    What a delectable couple:
    Utter perfection, one brittle, one supple—
    One moment, my dear—!
    -"Hello Little Girl," Into the Woods
  4. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
    For now I'm seeing love like none I've ever known.
    A love as pure as breath, as permanent as death.
    Implacable as stone
    A love that, like a knife, has cut into a life
    I wanted left alone.
    A love I may regret, but one I can't forget.
    - "I Wish I Could Forget You," Passion
  5. equivocation
    intentional vagueness or ambiguity
    No equivocation, most of all no guarantees
    That can be your motto, free of obligation, only the murmuring breeze
    As an obligato, live alone and like it, why is that such a crime?
    -"Live Alone and Like It," Dick Tracy
    An obligato is a part of the score that must be performed without change or omission.
  6. candor
    the quality of being honest and straightforward
    De Maupassant's candor
    Would cause her dismay
    The Brontes are grander
    But not very gay
    Her taste is much blander
    I'm sorry to say
    But is Hans Christian Andersen
    Ever risqué?
    -"Now," A Little Night Music
  7. diadem
    an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty
    Each a gem, a beautiful
    Diadem of beautiful-
    Welcome them, these beautiful
    Girls!
    -"Beautiful Girls," Follies
  8. personable
    pleasant in manner and appearance
    When a person's personality is personable
    He shouldn't oughta sit like a lump
    It's harder than a matador coercin' a bull
    To try to get you off of your rump
    -"You Could Drive a Person Crazy," Company
  9. winsome
    charming in a childlike or naive way
    Winsome
    What I am is winsome
    Radiant as in some
    Dream come true
    -"Lovely," A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
  10. culprit
    someone or something responsible for harm or wrongdoing
    Gee, Officer Krupke
    I'm not playin' games
    My parents are the culprits—I can
    Give you there names
    I'm not a delinquent
    I'm misunderstood
    'Cause in the worst of us there's good
    "Gee, Officer Krupke," West Side Story
Created on Thu Dec 05 15:28:20 EST 2013 (updated Mon Mar 02 10:41:03 EST 2020)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.