inharmonic

adjective

in·​har·​mon·​ic ˌin-(ˌ)här-ˈmä-nik How to pronounce inharmonic (audio)
: not harmonic

Examples of inharmonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The sound of this solicitation purr is especially inharmonic, and cat owners are actually more attuned to it than non-owners, so there's no learning to just ignore it. Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2012 The arc evolved from inharmonic drones and swoops to a stretch of rolling, arpeggiated waves reminiscent of musical minimalism, and then back again. Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2019 The stimuli included harmonic sounds and inharmonic sounds (produced by shifting some frequencies of a previously harmonic sound), and sounds with beating and without. Sciencenow, WIRED, 13 Nov. 2012

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inharmonic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inharmonic was circa 1828

Dictionary Entries Near inharmonic

Cite this Entry

“Inharmonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inharmonic. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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