contralto

[ kuhn-tral-toh ]

/ kənˈtræl toʊ /

Music.

Save This Word!

See synonyms for contralto on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural con·tral·tos.

the lowest female voice or voice part, intermediate between soprano and tenor.

the alto, or highest male voice or voice part.

a singer with a contralto voice.

adjective

pertaining to the contralto voice or its compass.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of contralto

1720–30; <Italian, equivalent to contr(a) contra-² + alto alto

Words nearby contralto

contra-guide rudder, contrail, contraindicate, contraindicated, contralateral, contralto, contranym, contraoctave, contraorbital, contraplete, contrapose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use contralto in a sentence

'My Lord, What a Night'Two gifted originals in divergent pursuits — music and physics — come together in this Ford’s Theatre production, based on the true story of the friendship between contralto Marian Anderson and scientist Albert Einstein.
After a devastating lull, theater is coming back big|Peter Marks|September 10, 2021|Washington Post
That is not an instrument for the production of tones in the contralto compass.
The Child-Voice in Singing|Francis E. Howard
What she sang he did not know, but her deep contralto, holding heaven in its tones, he both knew and understood.
The White Shield|Myrtle Reed
The contralto and I were talking about it one day on the train and saying how glad we should be to get away from it.
Memoirs of an American Prima Donna|Clara Louise Kellogg

With that there smote on our ears the sounds of two voices in altercation outside—one a woman's high contralto.
The Adventures of Harry Revel|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Through the warm air, heavy with the perfume of flowers, floated the contralto voice of Dolores.
The Harlequin Opal, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Fergus Hume

British Dictionary definitions for contralto

contralto

/ (kənˈtræltəʊ, -ˈtrɑːl-) /

noun plural -tos or -ti (-tɪ)

the lowest female voice, usually having a range of approximately from F a fifth below middle C to D a ninth above itIn the context of a choir often shortened to: alto

a singer with such a voice

adjective

of or denoting a contraltothe contralto part

Word Origin for contralto

C18: from Italian; see contra-, alto

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for contralto

contralto

[ (kuhn-tral-toh) ]

The lowest range of the female singing voice; alto.

contralto

Origin of contralto

Words nearby contralto

Words related to contralto

How to use contralto in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contralto

Word Origin for contralto

Cultural definitions for contralto