Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

homophony

American  
[huh-mof-uh-nee, hoh-] / həˈmɒf ə ni, hoʊ- /

noun

  1. the quality or state of being homophonic.

  2. homophonic music.


homophony British  
/ hɒˈmɒfənɪ /

noun

  1. the linguistic phenomenon whereby words of different origins become identical in pronunciation

  2. part music composed in a homophonic style

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of homophony

1770–80; < Greek homophōnía unison, equivalent to homóphōn ( os ) homophonous + -ia -y 3

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:

Common indicators for homophony are words relating to sound or speech: “heard,” “to an audience,” “said,” and the like.

From The New Yorker Nov. 26, 2019

At a time when homophony was coming to the fore—melody over accompaniment—Duarte’s contrapuntal interplay of lines would have had a somewhat old-fashioned sound.

From The New Yorker Feb. 11, 2019

The homophony of “Devine” and “the Vine” was, of course, more than mere coincidence.

From Salon Oct. 21, 2015

In most well-written homophony, the parts that are not melody may still have a lot of melodic interest.

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

This simultaneous irritation is named by Semon homophony.

From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training