consonant

American  

[kon-suh-nuhnt] / ˈkɒn sə nənt /

noun

1. Phonetics.

   1. (in English articulation) a speech sound produced by occluding with or without releasing (p, b; t, d; k, g), diverting (m, n, ng), or obstructing (f, v; s, z, etc.) the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to vowel).

   2. (in a syllable) any sound other than the sound of greatest sonority in the syllable, as b, r, and g in brig (opposed to sonant).

   3. (in linguistic function) a concept empirically determined as a phonological element in structural contrast with vowel, as the b of be, the w of we, the y, s, and t of yeast, etc.

2. a letter that usually represents a consonant sound.

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adjective

1. in agreement; agreeable; in accord; consistent (usually followed by to orwith ).

   behavior consonant with his character.

   Synonyms:

   congruous, concordant

2. corresponding in sound, as words.

3. harmonious, as sounds.

4. Music. constituting a consonance.

   Antonyms:

   dissonant

5. Physics. noting or pertaining to sounds exhibiting consonance.

6. consonantal.

consonant British  

/ ˈkɒnsənənt /

noun

1. a speech sound or letter of the alphabet other than a vowel; a stop, fricative, or continuant

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adjective

1. (postpositive; foll by with or to) consistent; in agreement

2. harmonious in tone or sound

3. music characterized by the presence of a consonance

4. being or relating to a consonant

Other Word Forms

• consonantlike
  adjective
• consonantly
  adverb
• unconsonant
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of consonant

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English consona(u)nt, from Anglo-French, from Latin consonant-, stem of consonāns “sounding together,” present participle of consonāre “to sound with or together”; equivalent to con- + sonant

Explanation

A consonant is a speech sound that is not a vowel. It also refers to letters of the alphabet that represent those sounds: Z, B, T, G, and H are all consonants. Consonants are all the non-vowel sounds, or their corresponding letters: A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y are not consonants. In hat, H and T are consonants. Consonant can also be an adjective that describes things that seem like they should go together, things that are "agreeable." You could say a nation's offer of aid is consonant with their treaties. When you hear consonant sounds in music, they are pleasing, the opposite of "dissonant" sounds which are harsh.

Example Sentences

And the “Laudamus Te,” with its insistent back-and-forth reiteration of the simplest consonant harmonies, sounds like a prefiguration of Virgil Thomson’s “Four Saints in Three Acts.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Now he seems to regret it—though he still hasn’t apologized directly or acknowledged that he was wrong, and is pretending that what he said earlier is consonant with what he’s saying now.

From Slate • Dec. 30, 2025

These consonant clusters comprise multiple letters when written out in the Roman alphabet, but are one letter in the Yautja alphabet.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025

In the Gluck rehearsal, Palumbo cautioned the group not to sit on one word’s final vowel, so that the next consonant could be more explosive.

From New York Times • May 21, 2024

Exceptions.—X final, being equivalent to ks, is never doubled; and when the derivative does not retain the accent of the root, the final consonant is not always doubled: as, prefer' + ence = pref'erence.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton