acoustic

1 of 2

adjective

acous·​tic ə-ˈkü-stik 

variants or acoustical

ə-ˈkü-sti-kəl 

1

: of or relating to the sense or organs of hearing, to sound, or to the science of sounds

acoustic apparatus of the ear

acoustic energy

: such as

a

: deadening or absorbing sound

acoustic tile

b

: operated by or utilizing sound waves

2

: of, relating to, or being a musical instrument whose sound is not electronically modified

acoustically

ə-ˈkü-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

acoustic

2 of 2

variant of acoustics

Synonyms of acoustic

Adjective

• auditory

Examples of acoustic in a Sentence

Adjective

the acoustic properties of a room

She loves listening to acoustic folk music.

an acoustic performance of a rock-and-roll song

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

By middle school, Anderson and Black formed an acoustic duo, Andblack, that performed at restaurants and birthday parties around Birmingham, including an appearance at the final Acoustic Cafe gathering in 2016. — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026

The combined engineering of spatial, acoustic and visual experiences is, perhaps, still not fully appreciated. — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026

On Monday, the gallery echoed with the sounds of an acoustic guitar and flute during a fundraiser for Rose Lounsbury, a former schoolteacher who, for the second time, is running as a Democrat for state representative. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Tenpenny thought the musical foundation would benefit from amping up the sound, so DeStefano doubled the acoustic guitar with an electric model. — Tom Roland, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

acoustic borrowed from Medieval Latin acousticus, acūsticus, borrowed from Greek akoustikós, from akoustós "heard, audible" (verbal adjective of akoúein "to hear," going back to Indo-European *h₂kou̯s-) + -ikos -ic entry 1; acoustical from acoustic + -al entry 1 — more at hear

First Known Use

Adjective

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing acoustic

• acoustic emission

Rhymes for acoustic

• electroacoustic

Kids Definition

acoustic

adjective

acous·​tic ə-ˈkü-stik 

variants or acoustical

-sti-kəl 

1

: of or relating to the sense or organs of hearing, to sound, or to the science of sounds: as

a

: deadening or absorbing sound

b

: operated by or using sound waves

2

: of, relating to, or being a musical instrument whose sound is not electronically modified

acoustic guitar

acoustically

-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

acoustic

adjective

acous·​tic ə-ˈkü-stik 

variants or acoustical

-sti-kəl 

: of or relating to the sense or organs of hearing, to sound, or to the science of sounds

acoustic apparatus of the ear

acoustic energy

: as

a

: deadening or absorbing sound

acoustic tile

b

: operated by or utilizing sound waves

acoustically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb