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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of harmonic

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

harmonic

With that, he led a quintet through the music of “Members, Don’t Git Weary,” a 1968 gem within Roach’s catalog, interpreting its six tracks more along lines of harmonic and emotional content than song form.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

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

In quantum physics, these are known as quantum harmonic oscillators.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026

But while the moody harmonic progression and title might suggest an ode, nothing in Mr. Picton’s songs is ever easy, or obvious.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

The negative aspect is that it means that all intervals except for octaves are slightly out of tune with regard to the actual harmonic series.

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

Related Words

• melodic
• symphonic