Meaning & use
harmonies
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“harmonies” is a form of “harmony”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Pleasant musical notes sounded together, or the pleasing way they combine.
Grammar: Countable: you can talk about one harmony or several harmonies.
Patterns
- sing in harmony
- a rich harmony
- harmonies of a piece
The choir sang in close harmony, each voice weaving around the melody.
The song's harmonies are simple but beautiful, and everyone can join in.
He studied the harmonies of jazz standards to learn how chords move.
noununcountable
A state in which people live or work together peacefully, without fighting or disagreeing.
Grammar: Usually uncountable and used in phrases like in harmony or live in harmony.
Patterns
- live in harmony
- in harmony with someone
- a sense of harmony
The two communities have lived in harmony for generations.
Her goal is to bring harmony to a team that argues constantly.
They work in harmony with nature, planting only what the soil supports.
nouncountable or uncountable
A pleasing combination of colors, shapes, or sounds that seem to belong together.
Grammar: Can be countable (a harmony of colors) or uncountable (a sense of harmony).
Patterns
- a harmony of colors
- in harmony with something
- visual harmony
The garden is a harmony of soft greens and pale yellows.
The designer chose furniture in harmony with the old wooden floors.
There is a quiet harmony between the building and the landscape around it.
Word forms
| singular | harmony |
|---|
Common combinations
- in harmony
- The birds and the water seemed to sing in harmony.
- live in harmony
- Different faiths have lived in harmony in this city for centuries.
- a sense of harmony
- Soft lighting gives the room a sense of harmony.
- close harmony
- The quartet is famous for its close harmony singing.
- in harmony with
- Their plans are in harmony with the town's long-term goals.
Synonyms and how they differ
- agreement
- Use agreement for people sharing the same opinion; harmony suggests a warmer, more peaceful feeling.
- concord
- Concord is formal and rare, mostly used about nations or groups at peace; harmony is the everyday word.
- unity
- Unity stresses being one whole group; harmony stresses that the parts fit well together.
Opposites
Word family
- harmonic adjective
- relating to harmony or to musical overtones.
- harmonize verb
- to sing or play notes that sound pleasant together, or to make things fit well.
- harmonious adjective
- pleasant, peaceful, and free from disagreement.
- harmoniously adverb
- in a peaceful or pleasingly matched way.
Commonly confused: harmonies or melodies?
harmonies vs melodies
A melody is the main tune you hum; harmonies are the extra notes that support it.
Practice
Which sentence uses "harmonies" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Harmonies" is the plural noun for combined notes, so it fits "practiced their harmonies." Option 2 wrongly uses it as a verb (the verb is "harmonizes"), option 3 uses a plural noun where an adjective or singular noun is needed, and option 4 confuses it with "parts" or "brakes."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “harmonies”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.