assonance

noun

as·​so·​nance ˈa-sə-nən(t)s 

1

a

: relatively close juxtaposition of similar sounds especially of vowels (as in "rise high in the bright sky")

b

: repetition of vowels without repetition of consonants (as in stony and holy) used as an alternative to rhyme in verse

2

: resemblance of sound in words or syllables compare alliteration

assonant

ˈa-sə-nənt 

adjective or noun

assonantal

ˌa-sə-ˈnan-tᵊl 

adjective

Examples of assonance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There is a bopping, rhythmic assonance to Ginsberg’s unspooling lines, more incantation than poetry. — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026

But across the rest of the record, whether retelling or daydreaming, Hawke maintains a writerly attention to assonance and rhyme. — Caitlin Wolper Phillips, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026

The simile is novel and yet the sort of thing a young woman would think; there is assonance and consonance seesawing across the sentence, which is slow and gorgeous rather than quick and thrilling. — Joanna Biggs, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024

At the same time, the poem’s strong slam rhythms, coming in rising and falling waves, with frequent internal rhymes, repetitions, and plays of assonance are strong, effective, unmistakable. — Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 31 Mar. 2021

The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. — John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin assonare to answer with the same sound, from ad- + sonare to sound, from sonus sound — more at sound entry 1

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

assonance

noun

as·​so·​nance ˈas-ə-nən(t)s 

: the repetition of vowel sounds but not consonants in words (as "red hen") for poetic effect

assonant

-nənt 

adjective