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 (vowel ).

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

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

“To supplement not having F and V and Th and M, we have consonant clusters like jl and cht … that we don’t have in English, but they can be made lower in the throat.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025

But Mr. Haas’s work is much easier on the ear than most Stockhausen—more consonant and not especially taken up with chromaticism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

The multinational taking over The Connector is the consonant cluster VorschlagXE.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2024

An M followed by a vowel, then a consonant, then a vowel, then a consonant.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour