harmony

noun har·mo·ny \ ˈhär-mə-nē \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of harmony

plural harmonies

1 archaic : tuneful sound : melody

2 a : the combination of simultaneous musical notes in a chord

She taught him how to sing harmony.

b : the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords

a song with complicated harmonies and rhythms

c : the science of the structure, relation, and progression of chords

3 a : pleasing arrangement of parts : congruence

a painting exhibiting harmony of color and line

b : agreement, accord

when a woman's desires are in harmony with those of her husband

c : internal calm : tranquility

a period of relative harmony

4 a : an interweaving of different accounts into a single narrative

b : a systematic arrangement of parallel literary passages (as of the Gospels) for the purpose of showing agreement or harmony

See harmony defined for English-language learners

See harmony defined for kids

Examples of harmony in a Sentence

a song with complicated harmonies and rhythms
her face had an angelic harmony that fascinated the leading painters of her day

Recent Examples of harmony from the Web

Lillard pored over old videos of John Stockton and Karl Malone, hoping to replicate their pick-and-roll harmony with Aldridge.

— lee jenkins, SI.com, "How Damian Lillard Redefined the Meaning of 'Dame Time'," 5 Apr. 2018
Architecturally, the homes at Palmetto Bluff celebrate both Southern culture and contemporary living, all in harmony with the land.

— Smithsonian, "See a full list of upcoming events at Palmetto Bluff," 1 Apr. 2018
Responding to the scene’s inherent dualities — divided loyalties, reality and madness, life and death — Bridge built the score around one of his most characteristic harmonies, a stacking of two triads: C-sharp minor and D-sharp major, in this case.

— matthew guerrieri, BostonGlobe.com, "A gift from Benjamin Britten’s teacher," 29 Mar. 2018
The emotional climax of the book comes when Mr. Choudhury’s weddedness to Calcutta comes at the expense of harmony with his wife.

— maya jasanoff, WSJ, "‘The Epic City’ Review: From Calcutta to Kolkata," 23 Mar. 2018
Also, these actors can sing, lifting Bareilles’ score with its girl-group harmonies, kicky upbeat numbers and soaring ballads.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "In 'Waitress,' tasty performances spice up familiar fodder," 21 Mar. 2018
Louise could be fiercely debating on the floor in the morning, and singing in harmony with her colleagues across the aisle in the evening.

— Washington Post, "Veteran Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter dies," 16 Mar. 2018
In addition to performing their own music, those guest vocalists will lend their harmonies to Chapman's songs.

— ed masley, azcentral, "Local music picks for Phoenix: Futuristic, Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, Injury Reserve," 7 Mar. 2018
Yet the collective doesn’t need anyone else to elevate the roof: Its own luminous harmonies have survived terrible political systems, member deaths and retirements and changing tastes.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Top Milwaukee concerts this week: Lorde, Kelsea Ballerini, Joe Satriani's G3 tour and more," 22 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of harmony

Middle English armony, from Anglo-French armonie, from Latin harmonia, from Greek, joint, harmony, from harmos joint — more at arm

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

harmony Synonyms

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

HARMONY Defined for English Language Learners

harmony

noun

Definition of harmony for English Language Learners

: the combination of different musical notes played or sung at the same time to produce a pleasing sound
: a pleasing combination or arrangement of different things