philharmonic
Americanadjective
-
fond of or devoted to music; music-loving: used especially in the name of certain musical societies that sponsor symphony orchestras Philharmonic Societies and hence applied to their concerts philharmonicconcerts.
-
of, noting, or presented by a symphony orchestra or the society sponsoring it.
noun
adjective
-
fond of music
-
(capital when part of a name) denoting an orchestra, choir, society, etc, devoted to the performance, appreciation, and study of music
noun
Usage
Quiz yourself on philharmonic vs. symphony vs. orchestra! Should philharmonic, symphony, or orchestra be used in the following sentence?Mozart composed this _____ in 1786.
Etymology
Origin of philharmonic
1755–65; phil- + harmonic; modeled on French philharmonique or Italian filarmonico
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.
The eyes turned towards her in Tehran's renowned Vahdat Hall include those of many young women musicians inspired by her taking her place as Iran's first woman philharmonic conductor.
From Barron's
He moved to Yekaterinburg, then Kursk, and spent three years in Kurgan, a city to the east of the Ural mountains, before he lost his job at the philharmonic orchestra there in 2022.
From BBC
After 20 years, Walt Disney Concert Hall has changed Los Angeles and its philharmonic orchestra, but we now have to live up to Frank Gehry’s full, original vision.
From Los Angeles Times
The philharmonic will perform alongside high school musicians chosen in auditions.
From Seattle Times
People in Los Angeles are still memorializing a mountain lion, P-22, with T-shirts and a show commissioned by the philharmonic.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
