interplay

[in-ter-pley, in-ter-pley, in-ter-pley]

noun

1. reciprocal relationship, action, or influence.

   the interplay of plot and character.

verb (used without object)

1. to exert influence on each other.

interplay

/ ˈɪntəˌpleɪ /

noun

1. reciprocal and mutual action and reaction, as in circumstances, events, or personal relations

Word History and Origins

Origin of interplay¹

First recorded in 1860–65; inter- + play

Example Sentences

Pixels and filters can’t capture the interplay of light, shadow, color and grain like 35mm film, even for an amateur like me.

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He continued, "The findings demonstrate that the interplay among inorganic and organic compounds played crucial roles in Earth's environmental changes, deepening our understanding of the evolution of Earth's oxygen and hence the life on it."

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It gives researchers a new way to study the complex interplay between symmetry, quantum states, and light-matter interactions at the nanoscale.

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At one point in “Ghosting,” Mr. Pettman cites Marcel Proust, who through his fiction became one of the most influential theorists of the interplay of imagination, memory and reality.

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Even more than the instrumental interplay, you remember these pieces because they are so melodic, and progress roughly in ways that mirror verses, choruses and bridges.

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Related Words

• give-and-take