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polyphonic

adjective

variants or polyphonous
Definition of polyphonicnext
as in harmonic

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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 polyphonic All operatic singing, especially the polyphonic (multipart) style known as bel canto, requires tremendous breath control and vocal skill. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026 The attempts by the current administration to whitewash or erase certain aspects of American history, especially the horrors of slavery, are powerfully countered by the novel’s investigation of America’s origins and its polyphonic voices. — Time, 12 May 2026 The choral elements on the record shine most vividly on the title track, which features polyphonic swells of voices humming melodies, overtaking the piano, dropping and then rising again. — Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026 Women who worked in shops sang together in bellowing, polyphonic unison. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 21 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for polyphonic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polyphonic
  1. harmonic
  2. homophonic
  3. orchestral
  4. rhythmic
  5. tonal
  6. chordal
  7. songful
  8. lyric
Adjective
  • But at times, the caliber of their technical and harmonic choices sounds arty and sophisticated.
    — Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Mehldau takes special care to retain Smith’s idiosyncratic chord structures, accentuating his sublime harmonic feel.
    — Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of harmonic
Adjective
  • In this grid, the revealer is at 57-Across, clued with [Hides one’s central point, in a way … with a doubly homophonic hint to 20-, 30-, 38- and 48-Across].
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • My introduction to homophonic translation came from my former teacher, Mónica de la Torre.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Jan. 2026
Definition of homophonic
Adjective
  • The new version folds the song’s original orchestral arrangement into Electric Callboy’s blend of EDM and pop hooks, arriving a decade after the anime first premiered.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Everything from Holden-Rea’s swooning orchestral score, which makes even the most mundane of mise en scène, courses with emotional histrionics, is calibrated for loud emotions.
    — Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of orchestral
Adjective
  • Using gentle, rhythmic movements, an MLD therapist guides fluid around areas where lymph nodes or vessels have been damaged or removed.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • As the rhythmic clicking of a dozen sewing machines echoes through his small workshop, Ainé Pathé Ouédraogo weaves through the room, checking seams and hems.
    — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of rhythmic
Adjective
  • Each sweater is embellished with XXV in tonal thread created by artisans to signify the 25th anniversary.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The film navigates an unusually delicate tonal terrain between black comedy, suspense and the fantastic.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of tonal
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
  • Bach was lively, supple, and, especially in the Larghetto, generous in its songful musicality.
    — Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Sep. 2022
  • In the early going, some tender yet mystic motifs suggest the songful chromaticism of Olivier Messiaen.
    — Seth Colter Walls, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2022
Definition of songful
Adjective
  • Prose poetry, the lyric essay and other hybrid forms of literature play at the intersection of genre, which usually defines these separate categories of writing.
    — Amy Cannon, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The scales are infinite, and the lyric combinations are infinite.
    — Rachel DeSantis, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of lyric

Browse Nearby Words

polyp
polyphonic
polyps
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Cite this Entry

“Polyphonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polyphonic. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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