muzak
/ˈmjuzæk/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.06 in modern English
Meaning
name
Recorded background music characterized by soft, soothing instrumental sounds which is transmitted by wire, radio, or recorded media (originally on a subscription basis) to doctors' offices, shops, and other business premises.
Uncountable
noun
Easy listening music, whether played live or recorded, especially if regarded as uninteresting.
Derogatory; Uncountable
noun
Something (such as speech) regarded as droning on and often boring, or soothing but undemanding.
Derogatory; Uncountable
verb
To adapt or reduce (a piece of music, etc.) to the status of Muzak.
Derogatory; Transitive verb
noun
Alternative letter-case form of Muzak (“easy listening music, especially if regarded as uninteresting; something regarded as droning on and often boring, or soothing but undemanding”).
Uncountable
verb
Alternative letter-case form of Muzak.
Example Sentences
- "It dawned on her that he was talking about the Muzak. It had been seeping in, in its subliminal, unidentifiable way since they'd entered the place, all strings, reeds, muted brass."
- "There's no way I can change internal body functions. Only yogis can do that. Muzak, for example, can't change you. Aaron Copeland [i.e., Aaron Copland] calls Muzak 'the obsequious.' We're super-saturated with shitty music. [Originally published in New Times.]"
- "Some people, of course, have no trouble making that decision: they know they don't like Muzak. Critics charge that Muzak invades what could be pleasurable silence, disrupts conversation, or smacks of George Orwell's 1984. [Originally published in American Way.]"
- "The sound you make is muzak to my ears / You must have learned something in all those years"
- "[T]he supermarket is very crowded, because of course it's the time of day when all other people with jobs also try to squeeze in some grocery shopping, and the store is hideously, fluorescently lit, and infused with soul-killing Muzak or corporate pop, and it's pretty much the last place you want to be, but you can't just get in and quickly out."
- "Willington had seen disco for what it was – the great Muzaking of rock and roll via a chintzy chorus, chintzy rotating mirror balls, and chintzy Arthur Murray twirling."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmjuzæk/
- British English: /ˈmjuːzæk/