1 consonance | Definition of consonance
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

consonance

noun
con·​so·​nance | \ ˈkän(t)-s(É™-)nÉ™n(t)s How to pronounce consonance (audio) \

Definition of consonance

1 : harmony or agreement among components His beliefs are in consonance with the political party's views.
2a : correspondence or recurrence of sounds especially in words specifically : recurrence or repetition of consonants especially at the end of stressed syllables without the similar correspondence of vowels (as in the final sounds of "stroke" and "luck")
b : concord sense 1b
c : sympathetic vibration, resonance
Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about consonance

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of consonance in a Sentence

at present, the living room lacks consonance because all of the furniture is on one side in good writing there is always consonance of thought and expression, as the use of simple words for simple thoughts

Recent Examples on the Web

 It was proposed as an alternative (even if there were more consonances than were openly discussed at the time), and was bolstered by being the opposition to something too grand. — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, "Indie Rap Veterans Return to a Genre Still in Need of Opposition," 4 Apr. 2018 That has helped create consonance among all the various regulators and policymakers involved in state climate policy. — David Roberts, Vox, "California’s huge energy decision: link its grid to its neighbors, or stay autonomous?," 23 Aug. 2018 Minimalism would herald an unexpected inventive return to consonance, traditional harmony and pulse, all of which had little appeal to modern music. — Mark Swed, latimes.com, "Four radical and radically original pieces of music that blew up the modernist status quo in 1968," 21 Apr. 2018 This creates an odd consonance between internal and external passage, one that suggests that the mind is also a landscape of sorts and that walking is one way to traverse it. — Charlotte Shane, New Republic, "How Rebecca Solnit Became Essential Feminist Reading," 26 May 2017 These crosscurrents of connection add up to a consonance that might almost be mythic. — Hermione Hoby, New York Times, "Debut Stories Blend Beastly Transformations With Teenage Turmoil," 26 May 2017 But a film also resonates peculiarly with the specific time of its creation, not necessarily through overt connections to current events but in terms of consonance or dissonance with prevailing moods. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "Highlights from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival," 25 Jan. 2017 Amusics also can’t distinguish consonance from dissonance. — Sciencenow, WIRED, "Human Brain Is Wired for Harmony," 13 Nov. 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'consonance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of consonance

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for consonance

see consonant entry 1

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on consonance

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for consonance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about consonance

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!