interplay

American  

[in-ter-play, in-ter-play, in-ter-play] / ˈɪn tərˌpleɪ, ˌɪn tərˈpleɪ, ˈɪn tərˌpleɪ /

noun

• interplays
  plural

1. reciprocal relationship, action, or influence.

   the interplay of plot and character.

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verb (used without object)

1. to exert influence on each other.

interplay British  

/ ˈɪntəˌpleɪ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• interplays
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of interplay

First recorded in 1860–65; inter- + play

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Explanation

Interplay is a kind of back-and-forth interaction in which each side affects the other. A beautiful piece of music has the perfect interplay between melody, rhythm, and harmony. You can think of interplay as if you're watching an actual play on a stage: the way two characters communicate, whether they're cooperating or clashing with each other, is a kind of interplay. This word is often used in a less concrete way, so you might hear a sociologist talk about the interplay between race and class or a film critic discuss the interplay between violence and comedy in a movie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interplay interplays

Hodges reprises Orazio’s chiaroscuro — the interplay of light and shade — in the sculptural folds of the drapery to equally foreboding effect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

His latest book examines leaders in government, business and other fields to determine how the interplay of personal talent and historical circumstance shapes success or failure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

"Monotile patterns provide a platform for exploring optical phenomena that emerge from the interplay of symmetry, chirality, and aperiodicity."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

The two leads share an easy interplay, giving generous performances that allow the other to shine in a comedy that wears its message about tolerance and nuance lightly.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

The book was less about what I considered to be the classic story form—the interplay between characters at a point of crisis—than it was about a broad presentation of the author’s point of view.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

"The goal is eventually to even study the interplays of different signaling pathways simultaneously."

From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2024

From utilitarian details that ground regal aesthetics in the contemporary to surreal interplays of form and texture, the collections celebrated the industry’s ability to innovate while honoring its past.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024

The design reflects the traditional hand-crafted bowls found across the Arab and Islamic world while interplays of light mirror the fanar lanterns of the region.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2022

She began nesting spherical forms inside hourglass shapes and created elaborate interplays of inside and outside that can bend your brain if you try to figure them out.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 18, 2018

There are subtle interplays of delicate forces and reactions from environment which no one can measure.

From Our Foreigners A Chronicle of Americans in the Making by Samuel Peter Orth

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Related Words

• give-and-take

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