harmonic

American  

[hahr-mon-ik] / hɑrˈmɒn ɪk /

adjective

1. pertaining to harmony, as distinguished from melody and rhythm.

2. marked by harmony; in harmony; concordant; consonant.

3. Physics. of, relating to, or noting a series of oscillations in which each oscillation has a frequency that is an integral multiple of the same basic frequency.

4. Mathematics.

   1. (of a set of values) related in a manner analogous to the frequencies of tones that are consonant.

   2. capable of being represented by sine and cosine functions.

   3. (of a function) satisfying the Laplace equation.

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noun

1. Music. overtone.

2. Physics. a single oscillation whose frequency is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency.

harmonic British  

/ hɑːˈmɒnɪk /

adjective

1. of, involving, producing, or characterized by harmony; harmonious

2. music of, relating to, or belonging to harmony

3. maths

   1. capable of expression in the form of sine and cosine functions

   2. of or relating to numbers whose reciprocals form an arithmetic progression

4. physics of or concerned with an oscillation that has a frequency that is an integral multiple of a fundamental frequency

5. physics of or concerned with harmonics

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noun

1. physics music a component of a periodic quantity, such as a musical tone, with a frequency that is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency. The first harmonic is the fundamental, the second harmonic (twice the fundamental frequency) is the first overtone , the third harmonic (three times the fundamental frequency) is the second overtone, etc

2. music (not in technical use) overtone: in this case, the first overtone is the first harmonic, etc

harmonic Scientific  

/ här-mŏn′ĭk /

1. Periodic motion whose frequency is a whole-number multiple of some fundamental frequency. The motion of objects or substances that vibrate or oscillate in a regular fashion, such as the strings of musical instruments, can be analyzed as a combination of a fundamental frequency and higher harmonics.

2. ◆ Harmonics above the first harmonic (the fundamental frequency) in sound waves are called overtones. The first overtone is the second harmonic, the second overtone is the third harmonic, and so on.

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1. Related to or having the properties of such periodic motion.

Other Word Forms

• harmonically
  adverb
• harmonicalness
  noun
• nonharmonic
  adjective
• unharmonic
  adjective
• unharmonically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of harmonic

1560–70; < Latin harmonicus < Greek harmonikós musical, suitable. See harmony, -ic

Example Sentences

Our harmonic tendencies were nowhere near as complex, but they were rapidly becoming more sophisticated thanks to our exposure to such great improvisers as Miles!

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026

With a richer, more bewildering harmonic vocabulary, Chopin revealed the full spectrum of the nocturne’s possibilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

And Please, a slick piece of harmonic pop, is perfectly pleasant without leaving a lasting impression.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Thanks to this design, the metasurface generates third harmonic light, meaning the outgoing light has three times the frequency of the incoming beam, while also steering that light in specific directions.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2026

Figure 6.1: Here are the first sixteen pitches in a harmonic series that starts on a C natural.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• melodic
• symphonic