harmony
Americannoun
-
harmonies
plural
-
agreement; accord; harmonious relations.
- Synonyms:
- friendship, amity, peace, unity, concord
-
a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity.
- Synonyms:
- consonance, consistency, correspondence, conformity
-
Music.
-
any simultaneous combination of tones.
-
the simultaneous combination of tones, especially when blended into chords pleasing to the ear; chordal structure, as distinguished from melody and rhythm.
-
the science of the structure, relations, and practical combination of chords.
-
-
an arrangement of the contents of the Gospels, either of all four or of the first three, designed to show their parallelism, mutual relations, and differences.
noun
-
agreement in action, opinion, feeling, etc; accord
-
order or congruity of parts to their whole or to one another
-
agreeable sounds
-
music
-
a collation of the material of parallel narratives, esp of the four Gospels
Synonym Usage
See symmetry. Harmony, melody in music suggest a combination of sounds from voices or musical instruments. Harmony is the blending of simultaneous sounds of different pitch or quality, making chords: harmony in part singing; harmony between violins and horns. Melody is the rhythmical combination of successive sounds of various pitch, making up the tune or air: a tuneful melody to accompany cheerful words.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of harmony
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English armonye, from Middle French, from Latin harmonia, from Greek harmonía “joint, framework, agreement, harmony,” akin to hárma “chariot,” harmós “joint,” ararískein “to join together”
Explanation
Harmony is the sound of things that go together well — people singing in harmony are in tune with each other. Best friends should be in harmony most of the time if they want to stay best buds! Harmony is a noun that describes an agreement, such as in feeling, sound, look, feel, or smell. It’s necessary for roommates to be able to live in harmony in a small space, or they’re in for a wake-up call. In music, harmony is a pleasing combination and progression of chords. If it makes you wince, it’s lacking harmony. Synonyms for harmony include accord, concord, cooperation, like-mindedness, and unanimity. Antonyms, on the other hand, range from clash and disagreement to discord.
Vocabulary lists containing harmony
Unit 1: Telling Details
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
25 Words from "Baseball and Black History"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
We can all use more joyous nonsense, including musicians who simply want to add more harmony to the world.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The crowd listened in silence as the Polynesians, wearing blue fire uniforms, sang a Tahitian hymn in harmony while two of them strummed ukuleles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
"They work in harmony with us, which is just wonderful."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Some didgeridoo instrumentalists believe its low-frequency sound waves can foster a state of health and harmony for those in the Aboriginal community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
But some melodies don't imply any harmony; they are not meant to be played with harmony, and don't need it to be legitimate music.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
It complemented his fragmented musical architecture, just as the blocked passions of the film’s characters are captured in his unresolved harmonies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
But you can hear the heart in Haggard’s leathery vocals, buoyed by the sweet harmonies of his backing band.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Birdsong all around the world, they say, is made up of combinations of these motifs - three types of trill, three types of whistle, chaotic notes and harmonies.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Their harmonies intertwine like two gulls in flight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
In tonal music, just about any melody is allowed, as long as it fits into the harmonies as they wander away from and then head back to their home base.
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.
