counterpoint

American  

[koun-ter-point] / ˈkaʊn tərˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. Music. the art of combining melodies.

2. Music. the texture resulting from the combining of individual melodic lines.

3. a melody composed to be combined with another melody.

4. Also called counterpoint rhythm.  Prosody. syncopation.

5. any element that is juxtaposed and contrasted with another.

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verb (used with object)

counterpoints, present (3rd person singular) counterpointed, past participle, past counterpointing present participle

1. to emphasize or clarify by contrast or juxtaposition.

counterpoint British  

/ ˈkaʊntəˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. the technique involving the simultaneous sounding of two or more parts or melodies

2. a melody or part combined with another melody or part See also descant

3. the musical texture resulting from the simultaneous sounding of two or more melodies or parts

4. the application of the rules of counterpoint as an academic exercise

5. a contrasting or interacting element, theme, or item; foil

6. prosody the use of a stress or stresses at variance with the regular metrical stress

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verb

1. (tr) to set in contrast

counterpoint Cultural  

1. The use of two or more melodies at the same time in a piece of music; it was an important part of baroque music. Certain composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, have been especially skillful at counterpoint.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• counterpointing
  present
• counterpointed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• counterpoint
  simple
• counterpoints
  simple
• have counterpointed
  perfect
• has counterpointed
  perfect
• am counterpointing
  progressive
• are counterpointing
  progressive
• is counterpointing
  progressive
• have been counterpointing
  perfect progressive
• has been counterpointing
  perfect progressive

Past

• counterpointed
  simple
• had counterpointed
  perfect
• was counterpointing
  progressive
• were counterpointing
  progressive
• had been counterpointing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will counterpoint
  simple
• will have counterpointed
  perfect
• will be counterpointing
  progressive
• will have been counterpointing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of counterpoint

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French contrepoint, translation of Medieval Latin ( cantus ) contrāpūnctus literally, (song) pointed or pricked against, referring to notes of an accompaniment written over or under the notes of a plainsong. See counter-, point

Explanation

A counterpoint is something that contrasts, and to counterpoint is to provide a contrast. In music, counterpoint is when two separate melodies are played or sung at the same time. When a composer writes a piece of music using voices that follow different rhythms or pitches but ultimately come together harmonically, she uses counterpoint. And if you're on the school debate time, you might offer a counterpoint to an opponent's argument. You can also use this word as a verb to mean "to highlight difference:" "My tidy bookshelves counterpoint the mess of papers and books on my desk."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

counterpoint counterpoints counterpointed counterpointing

Another unappreciated aspect of the SpaceX IPO is that over 10,000 employees bought it, said Baker, which, he noted, is a counterpoint to exhaustive analysis of the share-lockup schedule.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

With 25 lots currently in its portfolio, four homes completed and two sold, Ocean Development offers a counterpoint to the narrative that investors will inevitably upend the character that made Altadena so beloved.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Pork chops have a long-standing relationship with applesauce — something sweet on the side, a soft counterpoint to the richness.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026

Of course, Woodland has never led the harshly spot-lit life of Woods, but his openness regarding his struggles is an interesting counterpoint to Tiger's ultra-private existence.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

The drumming of his hooves was like a counterpoint to the slow song of the wind, endlessly burning past my ears.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

In revisiting his cherished alien subgenre for the fourth time with “Disclosure Day,” Spielberg returns to where his career started, scraping away the classic marks of extraterrestrial intrigue and replacing them with human counterpoints.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Strangely, no mention is made of her three younger brothers, who also trained as apprentices to Orazio and who might have served as dramatic counterpoints for the young female artist.

From New York Times ● Nov. 29, 2024

He unpacks the various factions and beliefs that make up progressive Christianity and offers six points that progressive Christians might use in arguments and six counterpoints for biblical Christians to have at their disposal.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2023

There’s an account called Lingerie Addict who tweeted a list of counterpoints people made at her when talking about fast fashion, and I’ve seen all the same counterpoints.

From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2023

Or is there a kind of cosmic fugue, with themes and counterpoints, dissonances and harmonies, a billion different voices playing the life music of the Galaxy?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

McGregor, whose movement style is often characterised by hyperkinetic complexity, extreme limb extensions counterpointed against buckling torsos, said that when he read the poem, he was drawn to its vivid physical imagery and beauty.

From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2021

“Tenet” is Nolan’s densely science-fictional take on the James Bond thriller, but essentially it’s about entropy and reverse entropy and a series of jaw-dropping action sequences that take place in that counterpointed slipstream of time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2021

This doesn’t always work in a trio setting, where there’s little melody to be counterpointed, but it’s quite powerful in Halvorson’s new octet.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2017

A glass of Château La Noë 2007 Muscadet counterpointed the meaty oysters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2010

He went to the piano, began playing the melancholy leading motif and the two subsidiary themes, counterpointed them, ran into lofty crescendos, introduced variations, modulated and sang at the same time.

From The Goose Man by Porterfield, Allen Wilson

Sontag, of course counterpointing, noted that “its most obvious trait is assertiveness of one kind or another.”

From Washington Post ● May 11, 2020

The television was on, and Tupac’s “Hail Mary” was playing on his phone, a tolling bell eerily counterpointing the opening rap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2019

Weirdly, it adds something here, counterpointing all the anger and defiance in the lyrics with an affecting frailty.

From The Guardian ● May 24, 2012

Because it’s the counterpointing and the contrasts that’s some of the richness of it, and to lose that, I think, is to lose one of my aces in the hand.

From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2010

As a draughtsman Leech has been admirably placed by Mr. du Maurier, who calls him a perfect ballad-writer as compared with the more scientific counterpointing of Charles Keene.

From The History of "Punch" by Spielmann, M. H. (Marion Harry)