polyphonic

polyphonic — adjective

1. made of several melody lines heard together, with each line moving separately in

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

made of several melody lines heard together, with each line moving separately inside one piece of music

Example

The choir sang a polyphonic piece at the spring concert.

polyphonic + piece

In the old church, four voices formed a polyphonic sound.

polyphonic + sound

Synonyms
  • contrapuntal

    more technical and often used when discussing how separate lines are written against each other

  • multi-part

    broader and less exact; several parts may be present without true independent melodies

  • layered

    a general word for sounds built in levels, not specifically a music-theory term

Antonyms
  • monophonic

    used when there is only one melody line

  • unison

    describes voices or instruments sounding the same tune together

Grammar Patterns

polyphonic music

polyphonic singing

be polyphonic

Usage Note

Most often used with nouns such as music, singing, texture, piece, and sound. Distinguish from monophonic, which has only one melody line at a time.

Common Mistakes

The singer gave a polyphonic solo.
The choir sang a polyphonic piece.
'polyphonic' normally describes music with several independent melody lines, not one line sung alone.

Word family

  • polyphony
    nounC2
  • polyphonically
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Polyphonic is the clearest general word when several melody lines are heard together and each one keeps its own shape. Contrapuntal is closer to music study and focuses more on the way those lines are written against one another, so a Bach passage may be called both polyphonic and contrapuntal. Multi-part is broader and easier; it can describe songs with soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts even if the lines are simpler. Layered is the loosest word and often describes studio sound or added voices rather than formal polyphony. A choir can sing a multi-part song, but the music is polyphonic when each line carries its own melody.

polyphonic ↗contrapuntalmulti-partlayered

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • richly

Phrases

  • polyphonic music
  • polyphonic singing
  • polyphonic texture
  • polyphonic piece

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Polyphonic comes from Greek parts meaning 'many' and 'sound' or 'voice'. English uses it mainly for music in which several melody lines are heard together instead of only one line.