symphonic
Americanadjective
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Music. of, for, pertaining to, or having the character of a symphony or symphony orchestra.
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of or relating to symphony or harmony of sounds.
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characterized by similarity of sound, as words.
Other Word Forms
- nonsymphonic adjective
- nonsymphonically adverb
- presymphonic adjective
- symphonically adverb
Etymology
Origin of symphonic
First recorded in 1855–60; symphon(y) + -ic
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.
Importantly, Beethoven’s symphonic essay on leadership and power was followed by the premiere of orchestrations by several composers of selected variations from Frederic Rzewski’s “The People United Will Never Be Defeated.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Warren Hood, who has been equally at home with symphonic music and in jug bands, provides an often central and dominant fiddle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
"It's like 1,000 buzzing bees making a symphonic noise... Or the sound of my neighbours getting angry," he laughs.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
In the last room, a crescendo of monumental full portraits, the atmosphere is symphonic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
Liszt’s symphonic poems, on the other hand, were a departure from this trend in that they intended to conjure up in music the pictures or the stories themselves.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
