polyphony
Americannoun
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Music. polyphonic composition; counterpoint.
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Phonetics. representation of different sounds by the same letter or symbol.
noun
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polyphonic style of composition or a piece of music utilizing it
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the use of polyphones in a writing system
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of polyphony
First recorded in 1820–30, polyphony is from the Greek word polyphōnía variety of tones. See poly-, -phony
Vocabulary lists containing polyphony
Common Senses: Phon ("Sound")
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Music - Middle School
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Music - High School
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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 polyphony central to Ives’s music prevented its wide embrace during his lifetime, and even today—when his genius is fully recognized—the dissonance in his scores remains an impediment for many music lovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Under cover of jokes and the expert polyphony of the overlapping dialogue, David Adjmi leads us to a story about the disaster of maleness, and thus of mating, behind the pop-rock revolution of the period.
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
The children have their own afflictions, as does the husband-to-be, all shared in a polyphony of severed tongues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2023
Later, polyphony became increasingly common – when two, three or four voices would each sing different melodies, adding to the complexity of the sound.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2022
It meant a retreat from the very florid and ornate polyphony that had obsessed composers for a hundred years.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
