sonority

noun

so·​nor·​i·​ty sə-ˈnȯr-ə-tē How to pronounce sonority (audio)
-ˈnär-
plural sonorities
1
: the quality or state of being sonorous : resonance
2
: a sonorous tone or speech
3
phonetics : the perceptibility or distinctness of speech sounds when spoken in a context in which stress, pitch, and sound duration are constant
vowels possessing greater sonority than consonants

Examples of sonority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The rate of movement from one chord to the next was fairly consistent, providing an overall structural rhythm that ushered in the next sonority. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Nov. 2023 Its rapturous central fugue, its searing sonority and plunging depths were all brought to gleaming life. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023 Trumbore carefully assembled lines from contemporary American poets Barbara Crooker, Laura Foley and Amy Fleury, setting them in a lush harmonic language that at times recalls her teacher Morten Lauridsen’s sonorities. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023 The final work on the program was the Ravel quartet, and the musicians reveled in the richly varied sonorities of this masterpiece. Jeremy Yudkin, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023 In effect, though, its laws lead to the further abandonment of sonority and all the pleasing pattern-making and expected cadences of older music. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023 McCarthy’s imagery is strikingly visual and the rhythm of his prose has a sonority to it that, when read aloud, flows like music and puts most capital P poets to shame. Caine O'Rear, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2023 Variations on a Burgundy Noel by André Fleury showed off more piquant sonorities. Dallas News, 15 Feb. 2023 The brass became a single, low-register instrument in the first movement, returning again and again to pull the argument back into dark recesses; string pizzicati and tremolos sounded out through the drapery of mass wind sonorities. Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sonority.' 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 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sonority was circa 1623

Dictionary Entries Near sonority

Cite this Entry

“Sonority.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonority. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

sonority

noun
so·​nor·​i·​ty sə-ˈnȯr-ət-ē How to pronounce sonority (audio)
-ˈnär-
plural sonorities
: the quality or state of being sonorous : resonance
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!