acoustic

adjective acous·tic \ ə-ˈküs-tik \

variants: or acoustical play \-ti-kəl\

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: acoustic in a Sentence

Definition of acoustic

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

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See acoustic defined for English-language learners

See acoustic defined for kids

Examples of acoustic in a Sentence

the acoustic properties of a room
She loves listening to acoustic folk music.
an acoustic performance of a rock-and-roll song

Recent Examples of acoustic from the Web

Real-world example: Shaky speech Musical example: Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch The Acoustics of a Concert Hall Acclaimed as the world’s greatest concert hall, the Musikverein in Vienna owes its acoustic excellence largely to accident.

— jonathon keats, Discover Magazine, "Science of Music," 15 June 2018
For small vertical-lift aircraft, the challenge will not only be in decibel reduction, but in the acoustic signature as well—that is, how the noise blends in (or doesn’t) against the background of the city.

— eric adams, WIRED, "Four Reasons We Don’t Have Flying Cars—Yet," 15 June 2018
Random Maxx: Playing as an acoustic trio at 4 p.m. July 6 at the Klement's Sausage and Beer Garden.

— hannah kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Know any of these musicians? Check out these bands from the 'burbs playing Summerfest," 13 June 2018
The all-acoustic album arrives this September via Peter Gabriel’s Real World label.

— gail mitchell, Billboard, "Anthony Hamilton, Snarky Puppy and More Rock the Playboy Jazz Festival," 10 June 2018
Entertainers will vary and include acoustic, rock and Dixieland jazz, among others.

— carrie napoleon, Daily Southtown, "Highland tunes up Midweek Farmers Market offerings," 9 June 2018
Other system additions include networked thermal cameras installed along the reserve's perimeter and fiber-optic acoustic sensors.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "We know you hate the Internet of Things, but it’s saving megafauna from poachers," 6 June 2018
When gunfire is detected, acoustic experts review the shots and alert law enforcement within 30 seconds to a minute of the shots being fired, according to a news release.

— sarah meehan, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore police begin using ShotSpotter audio sensors to track gunshots," 1 June 2018
Sonar technology works by sending out an acoustic ping and then analyzing the return signal in order to discern shape, location or dimensions of an undersea threat.

— kris osborn, Fox News, "Navy mulls acceleration of first nuclear-armed Columbia ballistic missile sub," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acoustic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of acoustic

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 h₂kous-) + -ikos ¹-ic; acoustical from acoustic + ¹-al — more at hear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1635

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year