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

“Inevitably, the most difficult family member will choose ‘family harmony’ as their most important value,” he said.

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Producing three critically acclaimed, groundbreaking works laden with verses and harmonies containing the power to steal our breath after countless listens is more than most musicians achieve in a lifetime.

Read more on Salon

But its purpose will be to show harmony between the two religious denominations, with the Sistine Chapel Choir singing alongside the Choir of St George's Chapel and the Choir of His Majesty's Chapel Royal.

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“Venezuela will not be humiliated. Venezuela will bow to no one. Venezuela will continue on its path of peace, harmony, and stability.”

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Instead, the group work through a mix of lullabies, folk and gospel, switching from Spanish to Congolese to Swahili in rounds of four-part harmonies.

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Related Words

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