symphony

[ sim-fuh-nee ]
See synonyms for: symphonysymphonies on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural sym·pho·nies.
  1. Music.

    • an elaborate instrumental composition in three or more movements, similar in form to a sonata but written for an orchestra and usually of far grander proportions and more varied elements.

    • an instrumental passage occurring in a vocal composition, or between vocal movements in a composition.

    • an instrumental piece, often in several movements, forming the overture to an opera or the like.

  1. a concert performed by a symphony orchestra.

  2. anything characterized by a harmonious combination of elements, especially an effective combination of colors.

  3. harmony of sounds.

  4. Archaic. agreement; concord.

Origin of symphony

1
1250–1300; Middle English symfonye<Old French symphonie<Latin symphōnia concert <Greek symphōnía harmony. See sym-, -phony

Other words from symphony

  • pre·sym·pho·ny, noun, plural pre·sym·pho·nies.

Words Nearby symphony

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use symphony in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for symphony

symphony

/ (ˈsɪmfənɪ) /


nounplural -nies
  1. an extended large-scale orchestral composition, usually with several movements, at least one of which is in sonata form. The classical form of the symphony was fixed by Haydn and Mozart, but the innovations of subsequent composers have freed it entirely from classical constraints. It continues to be a vehicle for serious, large-scale orchestral music

  2. a piece of instrumental music in up to three very short movements, used as an overture to or interlude in a baroque opera

  1. any purely orchestral movement in a vocal work, such as a cantata or oratorio

  2. (in musical theory, esp of classical Greece)

  3. anything distinguished by a harmonious composition: the picture was a symphony of green

  4. archaic harmony in general; concord

Origin of symphony

1
C13: from Old French symphonie, from Latin symphōnia concord, concert, from Greek sumphōnia, from syn- + phōnē sound

Derived forms of symphony

  • symphonic (sɪmˈfɒnɪk), adjective
  • symphonically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for symphony

symphony

An extended musical composition for orchestra in several movements, typically four. Among the composers especially known for their symphonies are Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Josef Haydn, Gustav Mahler, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.