What does consonance mean?
Consonance refers to a state of harmony, agreement, or compatibility — whether between musical tones, poetic sounds, ideas, or people. Its most familiar sense lies in music, where consonance describes combinations of notes that sound stable, settled, and pleasing to the ear, standing in direct contrast to the tension of dissonance. The word extends naturally beyond music: writers speak of the consonance between a policy and public opinion, or between a person's words and their actions. In literary study it carries an additional technical meaning, denoting the deliberate repetition of similar consonant sounds within nearby words. Derived from Latin roots meaning literally 'to sound together', the word embodies its own meaning — elements blending into accord rather than clashing. Formal but widely understood, consonance is a precise, elegant term for any situation where parts fit together in satisfying unity.
nounAgreement or harmony between things; in music and phonetics, a combination of sounds that is pleasant or stable to the ear, as opposed to dissonance.
- A state of agreement, harmony, or compatibility between people, ideas, or elements.
- In music, the combination of notes that sounds stable, resolved, and pleasing to the ear (contrasted with dissonance).
"The design achieved consonance between the building's modern lines and its historic surroundings."
"There was a deep consonance between her stated values and her everyday actions."
"The composer used consonance throughout the final bars to give the piece a sense of resolution."
Rarely pluralised; usually treated as an uncountable quality or state.
"The score's final consonances resolve the earlier tensions."
The word for musical harmony itself comes from Latin roots meaning literally 'to sound together' — so every time you say 'consonance', the word is doing exactly what it describes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of consonance
Consonance comes from the Latin verb consonare, meaning 'to sound together', formed from con- ('together') and sonare ('to sound'), from which English also derives 'sound', 'sonic', and related terms. It entered English via Old French in the medieval period, initially in musical contexts before broadening to mean general agreement or accord. Its cognates include 'concord', which shares the same sense of things sounding or agreeing together.
Related word forms
How consonance is actually used
Formal to neutral in register; common in academic writing on music theory, poetics, and philosophy. In poetry, 'consonance' also names the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds within or at the ends of nearby words.
Easily confused with consonance
Dissonance is the opposite: a clash or tension between sounds, whereas consonance denotes agreement or pleasing harmony.
'Consonant' refers to speech sounds made with partial or full closure of the airflow, while 'consonance' refers broadly to harmony, agreement, or the pleasing repetition of similar sounds.