polyphonic

[ pol-ee-fon-ik ]

adjective

1. consisting of many voices or sounds.
2. Music.
   1. having two or more voices or parts, each with an independent melody, but all harmonizing; contrapuntal ( homophonic ).
   2. pertaining to music of this kind.
   3. capable of producing more than one tone at a time, as an organ or a harp.
3. Phonetics. having more than one phonetic value, as the letter s, that is voiced (z) in nose and unvoiced (s) in salt.

polyphonic

/ ˌpɒlɪˈfɒnɪk /

adjective

1. music composed of relatively independent melodic lines or parts; contrapuntal
2. many-voiced
3. phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a polyphone

Derived Forms

• ˌpolyˈphonically, adverb

Other Words From

• poly·phoni·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyphonic¹

First recorded in 1775–85; polyphone + -ic

Example Sentences

But the lineup that night, in a concert hall that typically hosts pop artists and rappers, was unexpected: four Ukrainian folk singers, filling the room with their high-pitched voices and polyphonic choruses, accompanied by a D.J. spinning techno beats — all to a cheering crowd.

From New York Times

Tim DeLaughter, who invited Faulkner to open for his long-running punk choir the Polyphonic Spree, sees him as a distinctively Texas artist, one who takes the lessons as well as the liberties of older players.

From New York Times

This vibrant, polyphonic novel-in-stories is a sizzling indictment of Nigeria’s entrenched homophobia and anti-L.G.B.T.Q. laws.

From New York Times

She is the author of epic, polyphonic novels that reveal the patience, perseverance and careful observation she learned during those long hours of note-taking, books that stretch over hundreds of pages, in which voice upon voice clamors to be heard in a dynamic swirl of the fantastic and the bleak.

From New York Times

In the case of “Chornobyldorf,” this takes the form of revived yet still-distant memories of Baroque opera and polyphonic chant, shot through with eruptions of blastingly amplified punkish rage.

From New York Times