contrapuntal

[ kon-truh-puhn-tl ]

adjective

, Music.

1. of or relating to counterpoint.
2. composed of two or more relatively independent melodies sounded together.

contrapuntal

/ ˌkɒntrəˈpʌntəl /

adjective

1. music characterized by counterpoint

Derived Forms

• ˌcontraˈpuntally, adverb

Other Words From

• contra·puntal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of contrapuntal¹

1835–45; < Italian contrappunt ( o ) + -al ¹. See counterpoint

Word History and Origins

Origin of contrapuntal¹

C19: from Italian contrappunto counterpoint + al ¹

Example Sentences

“That’s not a mystery to me,” Mann says of why some of his films take longer to catch on with audiences than others, citing the complex “contrapuntal” ending of “Heat.”

From Los Angeles Times

Her work, which has grown in acuity and emotional power, combines the complications of German and Soviet history with the lives of her characters, including those of her own family members, whose experiences echo with the past like contrapuntal music.

From New York Times

“This repertoire — with its contrapuntal extravaganzas, its antiphonal balances, its espousal of instruments that chuff and wheeze and speak directly to a microphone — was made for stereo,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

“Under Our Pillows,” which may be a reproach of social media — “You give yourself freely/Nowadays everyone’s for sharing,” Yorke chides — starts with crisp cross-rhythms: hopscotching guitar picking and a contrapuntal bass line over Skinner’s stop-start drumming.

From New York Times

What holds the movie together, for all its jittery syntax and rug-pulling midpoint twist, is the furiously combative, contrapuntal energy that courses between Silva and Firstman.

From Los Angeles Times