symphony

noun

sym·​pho·​ny ˈsim(p)-fə-nē 

plural symphonies

1

: consonance of sounds

2

a

: ritornello sense 1

b

: sinfonia sense 1

c(1)

: a usually long and complex sonata for symphony orchestra

(2)

: a musical composition (as for organ) resembling such a symphony in complexity or variety

3

: consonance or harmony of color (as in a painting)

4

a

: symphony orchestra

b

: a symphony orchestra concert

5

: something that in its harmonious complexity or variety suggests a symphonic composition

a symphony of flavors

Synonyms

• balance
• coherence
• concinnity
• consonance
• consonancy
• harmony
• orchestration
• proportion
• symmetry
• unity

Examples of symphony in a Sentence

the satisfying symphony of color in Renoir's canvases

a performance of a Bach concerto by the San Antonio Symphony

Recent Examples on the Web

The evening will serve as a celebration of the symphony’s 70th year with music, dinner and a live auction. —La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025

The symphony’s 2025-26 has already announced and will begin in September. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025

Sinners is a symphony of vampire bites, gunshot wounds, people being staked in the heart and left to burn alive. —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025

The film is a symphony of voices, featuring recent interviews with many of the original participants—businesspeople, union leaders, political officials—along with archival clips documenting key events and conveying the tone of the times. —Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English symphonie, from Middle French, from Latin symphonia, from Greek symphōnia, from symphōnos concordant in sound, from syn- + phōnē voice, sound — more at ban entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing symphony

• symphony orchestra

Kids Definition

symphony

noun

sym·​pho·​ny ˈsim(p)-fə-nē 

plural symphonies

1

: harmonious arrangement (as of sound or color)

a symphony of sounds in the forest

2

: a usually long musical composition for a full orchestra

3

: symphony orchestra

Etymology

Middle English symphonie "pleasing arrangement of sounds," from early French symphonie (same meaning), derived from Greek syn- "together" and phōnē "voice, sound" — related to euphony, phonetic