Meanings
nounworld music (countable and uncountable, plural world musics)
plural world musics
- countablerareuncountableentertainmentTraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music.
- countableuncountableentertainmentMusic that combines elements from traditional styles from the non-Western world along with modern, popular elements, in order to create something marketed towards Western audiences.
While it can be considered a metagenre, world music is really more of a marketing category.
2016, Roy Shuker, Understanding Popular Music Culture, page 123
Origin
Attributed to ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown (1960s), later primarily used as a marketing term.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic موسيقى العالم, موسيقى العالم
- موسيقى العالمtraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- موسيقى العالمmusic that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Chinese Mandarin 傳統音樂 /传统音乐, 世界音樂 /世界音乐
- 傳統音樂 /传统音乐 (chuántǒng yīnyuè)traditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- 世界音樂 /世界音乐 (shìjiè yīnyuè)music that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Dutch volksmuziek, traditionele muziek
- volksmuziektraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- traditionele muziektraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- wereldmuziektraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- wereldmuziekmusic that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Esperanto mondmuziko
- mondmuzikomusic that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Finnish kansanmusiikki, maailmanmusiikki
- kansanmusiikkitraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- maailmanmusiikkimusic that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
French musique du monde, musique du monde
- musique du mondetraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- musique du mondemusic that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Italian musica del mondo, musica del mondo
- musica del mondotraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- musica del mondomusic that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Japanese ワールド音楽
- ワールド音楽music that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Polish muzyka etniczna, world music
- muzyka etnicznatraditional music, as opposed to popular music or classical music
- world musicmusic that combines elements from traditional styles with popular elements
Cite this entry
APA
world music. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/world%20music
MLA
“world music.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/world%20music. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “world music,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/world%20music.
Source: world music on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.