polyphonic prose

American  

noun

1. prose characterized by the use of poetic devices, as alliteration, assonance, rhyme, etc., and especially by an emphasis on rhythm not strictly metered.

---

polyphonic prose British  

noun

1. a rhythmically free prose employing poetic devices, such as assonance and alliteration

---

Etymology

Origin of polyphonic prose

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

The sophomore novel marked the arrival of an intuitive stylist gifted at polyphonic prose.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Her most ambitious attempt in polyphonic prose is Guns as Keys: and the Great Gate Swings, whereof the title is like a trumpet fanfare.

From The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century by Phelps, William Lyon

There is everything in fact except polyphonic prose, and although I am afraid she loves her experiments in that form, they are the portion of her complete works that I could most willingly let die.

From The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century by Phelps, William Lyon

To be sure, the first one, The Hotel, is in a kind of polyphonic prose, but it is not at all a fair sample of the contents.

From The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century by Phelps, William Lyon

A good many of the poems in this book are written in "polyphonic prose".

From Men, Women and Ghosts by Lowell, Amy