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
Etymology
Origin of symphonic
First recorded in 1855–60; symphon(y) + -ic
Vocabulary lists containing symphonic
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.
In 1829, Mendelssohn visited Scotland for a three-week walking tour, resulting in the other two classics of Germany’s Scottish symphonic songbook: the “Hebrides” Overture and the “Scottish” Symphony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The German and Austrian symphonic and operatic music of the 1930s happens to be the root of the Hollywood soundtrack, created by composers such as Erich Korngold, who fled the Nazis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
This year’s program contained two numbers from movie soundtracks that Eisenhower, back from the war, enjoyed in the 1950s: Dimitri Tiomkin’s symphonic suite from “High Noon” and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s score from “Oklahoma!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
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
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
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