harmony

noun har·mo·ny \ ˈhär-mə-nē \

|Updated on: 7 Jul 2018

Examples: harmony in a Sentence

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

The end of the boom—the fuel nozzle—latches into a small hole in the receiving aircraft, and the fuel pumps as the conjoined aircraft fly in harmony.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "B-52 Bombers Could Quadruple Their Wing Bomb Loads," 25 June 2018
The necklace is the Hur symbol for harmony, while the earring is the Tao symbol for long life.

— jon niccum, kansascity, "Kansas crop artist Stan Herd's massive China 'earthwork' may outlast the Great Wall," 14 June 2018
Imagine a dinner table, with each seat hosting a representative of a different religion or ethnic group – a meal for harmony and humanity with peaceful discussion and discourse among diverse people.

— fez zafar, Teen Vogue, "Why I Started the American Iftar Dinner," 5 June 2018
Feminist and feminine aren't always descriptors that co-exist, but in Sarah Carson’s one-bedroom home in Hell’s Kitchen, both adjectives live in pink and perfect harmony.

— danielle fox, ELLE Decor, "A Feminine—And Feminist—Apartment in Hell’s Kitchen Goes Big," 21 May 2018
Nelson called for greater racial and ethnic harmony.

— Washington Post, "NAACP and Mormons call for racial harmony, civility," 17 May 2018
But whether polished or pared back, the couple's looks were always in perfect harmony.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "Happy Wedding Anniversary, Elvis and Priscilla Presley! The Iconic Couple's Most Memorable Beauty Moments," 1 May 2018
Anthony has tossed aside a career’s worth of me-first thinking and traded it for harmony.

— bruce jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "Russell Westbrook, Thunder posing serious threat to Warriors," 30 Jan. 2018
With patience and precision, the winemakers of Terra d’Oro for years have been seeking harmony above all else in their non-vintage zinfandel port.

— mike dunne, sacbee, "This year's best local wine you can (mostly) get for under $20," 20 June 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