contrapuntal

[kon-truh-puhn-tl]

adjective

Music.

1. of or relating to counterpoint.

2. composed of two or more relatively independent melodies sounded together.

contrapuntal

/ ˌkɒntrəˈpʌntəl /

adjective

1. music characterized by counterpoint

Other Word Forms

• contrapuntally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of contrapuntal¹

1835–45; < Italian contrappunt ( o ) + -al ¹. See counterpoint

Word History and Origins

Origin of contrapuntal¹

C19: from Italian contrappunto _counterpoint + _al ¹

Example Sentences

“That’s not a mystery to me,” Mann says of why some of his films take longer to catch on with audiences than others, citing the complex “contrapuntal” ending of “Heat.”

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The chase grows exponentially tenser as Miller begins shifting between close-ups and expansive long shots, the raucous noise and energy of the kidnappers on their hell machines working contrapuntally against the desert’s stillness.

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“This repertoire — with its contrapuntal extravaganzas, its antiphonal balances, its espousal of instruments that chuff and wheeze and speak directly to a microphone — was made for stereo,” he wrote.

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What holds the movie together, for all its jittery syntax and rug-pulling midpoint twist, is the furiously combative, contrapuntal energy that courses between Silva and Firstman.

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There, Barbie is astonished to discover sexism, and Ken is delighted to discover patriarchy, contrapuntal revelations that generate further comedy and something like enlightenment.

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