harmony

[hahr-muh-nee]

noun

plural

harmonies 

1. agreement; accord; harmonious relations.

   Synonyms: friendship, amity, peace, unity, concord

2. a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity.

   Synonyms: consonance, consistency, correspondence, conformity

3. Music.

   1. any simultaneous combination of tones.

   2. the simultaneous combination of tones, especially when blended into chords pleasing to the ear; chordal structure, as distinguished from melody and rhythm.

   3. the science of the structure, relations, and practical combination of chords.

4. 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.

harmony

/ ˈhɑːmənɪ /

noun

1. agreement in action, opinion, feeling, etc; accord

2. order or congruity of parts to their whole or to one another

3. agreeable sounds

4. music

   1. any combination of notes sounded simultaneously

   2. the vertically represented structure of a piece of music Compare melody rhythm

   3. the art or science concerned with the structure and combinations of chords

5. a collation of the material of parallel narratives, esp of the four Gospels

harmony

1. The sounding of two or more musical notes at the same time in a way that is pleasant or desired. Harmony, melody, and rhythm are elements of music.

Other Word Forms

• nonharmony noun
• preharmony noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of harmony¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of harmony¹

C14: from Latin harmonia concord of sounds, from Greek: harmony, from harmos a joint

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

When producers allow a star’s heroic jawline and eyebrow harmony to be covered in scars and a cloak, you know the artistic ambitions are high.

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Each loved nature and beauty and harmony, suffered grievously under American settlement and finally succeeded by being true to its heritage.

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Shawn, a refugee who lives in north Glasgow, believes the saltire usually represents peace, harmony and inclusion - but says it is now being flown "for the far-right and racism".

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"Remarkably few people around the world know the full depth of the King's lifelong battle to bring nature and humanity into harmony," he said.

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The incident threatens to derail the harmony that McLaren, through careful, thoughtful and open management, have so far managed to maintain between the two drivers.

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Related Words

• conformity 
• consensus 
• consistency 
• cooperation 
• friendship 
• good will www.thesaurus.com
• kinship 
• peace 
• rapport 
• tranquility 
• unanimity 
• understanding 
• unity