contrapuntal
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to counterpoint.
-
composed of two or more relatively independent melodies sounded together.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contrapuntal
1835–45; < Italian contrappunt ( o ) + -al 1. See counterpoint
Explanation
Anything contrapuntal has to do with counterpoint, which is a type of music that has two melodic lines played at the same time. Many kinds of music (such as rock and country) are very simple, but others are more complex: such as contrapuntal tunes. Contrapuntal music involves counterpoint, in which more than one musical line plays at the same time. The lines are independent but related harmonically: creating that relationship isn’t easy. A contrapuntal composer therefore must be very skilled, because contrapuntal music has a lot of balls in the air — or rather, notes. You can also call contrapuntal music polyphonic.
Vocabulary lists containing contrapuntal
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Matt Brewer’s contrapuntal bass figures deepen the drama, and an elegant tumble from Kendrick Scott’s drums fuels the action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
His contrapuntal beats lend context to tenor saxophonist Billy Pierce’s abstract improvisations; his laid-back rim shots ground pianist Johnny O’Neal’s lyrical lines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
Our contrapuntal analysis rendered four sites of dialectical tension found across women’s blog posts: only choice vs. other alternatives, unprepared vs. knowledgeable, relief vs. regret, and silence vs. openness.
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2023
Call it a small masterpiece — a term you might also apply to Timo Andres’s “An Open Book,” which moves between contrapuntal strictures and more free-associative lines with casual discipline.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2023
When there is more than one independent melodic line happening at the same time in a piece of music, we say that the music is contrapuntal.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
