harmony

play

noun har·mo·ny \ ˈhär-mə-nē \

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

Harmony Ct., 8910-Brandon L. Bertha and Lisa A. Lewis Bertha to Scott Glabe, $499,900.

— Washington Post, "Home sales in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties," 30 Aug. 2017
The way the four women moved together in lively, often funny, harmony was a perfect image for the season.

— alastair macaulay, New York Times, "Traditional Indian Dance, With Room for New Blood," 29 Aug. 2017
Fifth Harmony just shocked everyone watching the 2017 VMAs with what many are calling their most direct attack on former member Camila Cabello to date.

— melissa minton, Teen Vogue, "VMAs 2017: Fifth Harmony Called Out Camila Cabello During Their Performance," 28 Aug. 2017
Adding bassist Jonathan Hendrix to the mix provided a backdrop of beats to the guys' harmonies.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "Birmingham suburb natives form band specializing in harmonizing," 25 Aug. 2017
Hutton and Cory Wells were touring with Sonny & Cher when then went out on their own, then added Chuck Negron to form the group’s distinctive three-part harmonies.

— bill thompson, Cincinnati.com, "The road is the Mastersons’ musical universe," 19 July 2017
With the stage bathed blue, their choral harmonies echoed hauntingly as the sounds of danger were propelled by the percussion section and prominent guitar from Govan.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Concert review and photos: Hans Zimmer taps into musical movie memories at Alpharetta show," 18 July 2017
The party’s relentless propaganda about ethnic harmony has so effectively drilled the number 56 into people’s minds that few stop to wonder how it was arrived at and whether everyone feels included.

— The Economist, "Identity politicsWhy China’s Communists recognise just 56 ethnic groups," 13 July 2017
USA TODAY In Louisville, households often strive for harmony between divergent ideas.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "A house divided: Kentucky homes most often split — and we're not talking about sports," 8 July 2017

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

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

play

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