acoustic

adjective acous·tic \ ə-ˈküs-tik \

variants: or acoustical play \-ti-kəl\

|Updated on: 15 Aug 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

But since 2008, overall guitar sales are actually up 28 percent, according to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), thanks to healthy sales of acoustic guitars.

— andy hermann, Los Angeles Magazine, "Women Are Saving the Electric Guitar," 26 June 2018
In 2018, Tull musicians include guitarist Florian Opahle, keyboardist John O’Hara, bassist David Goodier, drummer Scott Hammond, and Anderson, who sings and plays acoustic guitar, in addition to the flute.

— bob kostanczuk, Post-Tribune, "Jethro Tull celebrates 50th anniversary with tour," 21 June 2018
My manager blamed England for the bad press: America had a longer memory and a greater love of the acoustic guitar as a means of folk-rock statement and storytelling.

— wesley stace, WSJ, "‘Siren Song’ Review: An Ear for What Was Next," 14 June 2018
Other auction items will include a stay at a cabin on Lake Arrowhead, a Taylor acoustic guitar, and several food, wine, cigar and whiskey packages, said Rennie.

— emily sorensen, Pomerado News, "Taste of Our Towne is June 16," 8 June 2018
As part of the agreement, Silva gained possession of the 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar the late Nirvana frontman played in the band’s legacy-burnishing 1993 appearance on MTV Unplugged.

— hilary weaver, Vanities, "Frances Bean Cobain’s Divorce and the Increasingly Strange Saga of Kurt Cobain’s Unplugged Guitar," 30 May 2018
The ballroom’s high ceiling has been obscured by acoustic tile.

— maria l. la ganga, idahostatesman, "What’s behind ’60s-era paneling at El Korah Shrine? A ballroom’s worth of ’20s art.," 12 July 2018
And then there are the acoustic tests, mimicking the music of the rocket itself.

— sarah scoles, WIRED, "Inside the Test Chamber for NASA's Astronaut Vehicle Double," 12 July 2018
Lest you be put off by the potential for noisy trains, not to worry—steel foils that wrap around the home create an acoustic shell to protect its interior from noise up above.

— alex bazeley, Curbed, "Sculptural steel home built into a 19th-century railway bridge wants $1.4M," 9 July 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