tritone

noun

tri·​tone ˈtrī-ˌtōn How to pronounce tritone (audio)
: a musical interval of three whole steps

Examples of tritone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There’s a long tradition of the tritone in TV themes, like The Simpsons and The Jetsons. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 June 2021 From top, a punch of pattern by Giorgio Armani; Acne’s clean and lean look; an advanced tritone outfit by E. Tautz. Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, 28 June 2019 The chord seethes with unsettled dissonance, packed with half- and whole-step clashes and anxious tritones, yet its triadic backbone lends stability. Matthew Guerrieri, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2018

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

Word History

Etymology

Greek tritonon, from tri- + tonos tone

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tritone was in 1609

Dictionary Entries Near tritone

Cite this Entry

“Tritone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tritone. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

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