Meaning & use
polyphony
A style of music combining two or more independent melodic lines sung or played at the same time.
See it in a sentence
Renaissance choirs were famous for their intricate polyphony of interweaving voices.
The composer layered several melodies at once to create rich polyphony in the final movement.
A note on using this word
Polyphony contrasts with homophony, where voices move together in the same rhythm supporting a single melody.
Words with a similar meaning
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Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
monophony
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