polyphonic

variants or polyphonous
Definition of polyphonicnext

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 Zivix reports that its algorithms can register complex playing techniques like polyphonic bends, slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs, tapping and muting. New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2025 Byrd is the word: Revel in the polyphonic glories of William Byrd, perhaps the greatest and certainly most influential of all the English Renaissance composers, in a setting that surely would have felt home to him, as a composer of sacred songs. Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 17 July 2025 The end result is a polyphonic spree of subcontinental flavors. Jordan Michelman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 July 2025 Your music is a fusion of avant-garde pop, electronics, and polyphonic folk. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for polyphonic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polyphonic
Adjective
  • The result is an apparent doubling of frequency—a bloom of second-harmonic content that the ear hears a bright octave above the fundamental.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Feb. 2026
  • This fever pitch is the product of countless factors, a harmonic convergence of sorts catalyzed by our central location and abundance of state-of-the-art facilities, underscored by about $700 million invested locally in the last 15 years alone.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • My introduction to homophonic translation came from my former teacher, Mónica de la Torre.
    Literary Hub, 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
Adjective
  • The full force of Lawrence Sher’s cinematography, Karen Murphy’s production design and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s orchestral score is fabulous, combining to make something seedy, moody and extravagant.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
  • With assistance from underground mainstay NoSaint, the sounds are a collage of loopy VST plugins that recall hunger-rap Drake, ethereal textures reminiscent of a Nintendo OST, and soaring orchestral organs.
    Serge Selenou, Pitchfork, 3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The finespun rhythmic intuition of Morgan and Royston, who played with Frisell on 2020’s Valentine, and the richness of the string section, despite its small size, work together to ensure the record’s easy dynamism; both give freedom to Frisell’s playing, but also decenter him when necessary.
    Archie Forde, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2026
  • When playing together, the two soloists — both expert — never slipped out of rhythmic and generously expressive sync, but Hoopes’ violin sounded steely when pressed.
    Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Scrubs’s tonal balance between slapstick and wistfulness was always one of its greatest strengths, and this latest season smoothly brings that combination back to life.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The tonal whiplash is, at this point, entirely the point.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • The Italian Jewish composer Salamone Rossi set Psalm 112 in Hebrew, in mainly chordal antiphony.
    Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2020
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
Adjective
  • Besides 8mm home movies and videos, there are glimpses of professional photographer Linda’s extraordinary portraits of famous musicians, and Paul’s diaries and handwritten lyric sheets.
    Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 25 Feb. 2026
  • The 2½-hour ceremony opened with a whimsical tribute to Italian lyric opera, with the stage director rousing not only the closing ceremony cast, including Achille Lauro, but also long-dormant opera characters tucked away in crates within the amphitheater's tunnels.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Polyphonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polyphonic. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.

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