homophonic

adjective

Definition of homophonicnext
as in polyphonic

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of homophonic My introduction to homophonic translation came from my former teacher, Mónica de la Torre. — Literary Hub, 9 Jan. 2026 How does this make any sense except as a very stupid, clumsy, idiotic no good way to give us a homophonic bridge to Gandalf. — Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 The content creator also used a homophonic slur at several points throughout the clip. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2024 The encryption turned out to be a homophonic cipher, in which each letter of the alphabet can be encoded in several different ways. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Feb. 2023 Mary used what is called a homophonic cipher, where each letter is replaced with a certain symbol. — Town & Country, 8 Feb. 2023 The letters used what’s known as a homophonic cipher, the researchers explain in a study published on Tuesday in the journal Cryptologia. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 8 Feb. 2023 The ciphers were homophonic, meaning each letter of the alphabet could be encoded using several cipher symbols, according to the researchers. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homophonic
  1. polyphonic
  2. harmonic
  3. tonal
  4. rhythmic
  5. orchestral
  6. chordal
  7. lyric
  8. lyrical
Adjective
  • The soundtrack—by the frequent Hans Zimmer collaborator David Fleming—is a delight, a polyphonic mood board of ghost-clangs, spooky bassoons, lyrical electro-motifs, and sighing sea themes.
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • The exhibition is divided into three parts, with each envisioned as a part of a polyphonic score existing within the larger symphony of Busan itself.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 8 July 2026
Definition of polyphonic
Adjective
  • These filings offer no melodic details, nothing rhythmic, nothing harmonic or structural.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 6 July 2026
  • The rhythmic pulse of hand clapping, accompanied by the resounding harmonic messages through voice.
    — Ukee Washington, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Definition of harmonic
Adjective
  • Barbaro completed her outfit with a tonal layering of tops, modeling a red scoop-neck tank tucked into her capris and a pink scoop-neck garment beneath that.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 15 July 2026
  • And one way to bridge this tonal shift in a polished way is to use your home’s architectural details.
    — Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 July 2026
Definition of tonal
Adjective
  • The microphones pick up the rhythmic thwack of leather on leather as Zizou executes a series of short passes with teammates.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 11 July 2026
  • There is the rhythmic, at times monotonous pattern of the minor-league baseball season.
    — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of rhythmic
Adjective
  • Deep ocean recordings blend with orchestral timpani, distant explosions, vibrations and the recorded buzzing of bees.
    — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026
  • Pursuing themes explored on the 2025 orchestral suite La Belleza, Pimienta’s latest release, Caribenya, turns the page to brazenly direct songwriting.
    — Maria Nenet Barrios, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026
Definition of orchestral
Adjective
  • Probably because at the time many of the time signatures and chordal progressions that Miles used were over the head of a young guitar player still functioning in the blues and folk idioms.
    — Steve Baltin, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
  • Hudson buttressed Al Kooper’s original organ part into a chordal fortress, part of an incendiary performance that surges to peak after peak.
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Definition of chordal
Adjective
  • On July 13, Grande all but confirmed their reconciliation in her lyric change.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 16 July 2026
  • At the time, a rep for Grande did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment regarding the lyric change.
    — Travis Cronin, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026
Definition of lyric
Adjective
  • While certain songs successfully couple lyrical and musical prowess to arrive at a stirring destination, not every track is quite as ambitious.
    — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
  • In December and January, ZBB swapped sheds for Las Vegas’ Sphere with an eight-show residency that interwove captivating visuals with thoughtful lyrical storytelling.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of lyrical

Browse Nearby Words

homology
homophonic
homos
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Homophonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homophonic. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All