What does unison mean?
Unison means exact agreement or coordinated action, especially among several people. It can describe people speaking the same words simultaneously, acting in complete agreement, or joining their voices in song. In music, unison refers to two or more performers or notes producing the same pitch at the same time. The common phrase “in unison” captures both the literal and figurative meanings: something can be done in unison because several participants are making the same sound at once, or because they share a position and act together. The word often carries a positive connotation of harmony, cooperation, and unusually complete agreement. It can also suggest that separate voices have become one unified sound. Unison is useful in formal discussion, literary description, and musical contexts because it distinguishes mere general agreement from precise coordination or shared expression.
Agreement among people in opinion, action, or expression, especially complete or simultaneous agreement; in music, the performance of voices or notes at the same pitch.
"The two declarations were issued in unison."
The phrase “in unison” is especially common when emphasizing simultaneity or complete coordination.
In unison; characterized by simultaneous sound or coordinated action.
"The two teams moved in unison throughout the performance."
This adjective use is uncommon in contemporary English; the phrase “in unison” is generally preferred.
The regular plural is rarely needed, since the word is usually singular or appears in the fixed phrase “in unison.”
"Two separate unisons emerged in the negotiations."
Unison literally means “one sound”: it began with the Latin unus, “one,” joined to sonus, “sound.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unison come from?
Unison entered English in the early 17th century from French, ultimately from Latin ūnisonus, a form combining ūnus, “one,” with sonus, “sound.” The name therefore describes one shared sound, a meaning still evident in musical and spoken usage. Related English words such as unanimous, uniform, universal, and unit descend from the same Latin root ūnus.
How unison is actually used
The phrase “in unison” is the most common modern usage. In music, unison specifically refers to voices or notes sounding at the same pitch rather than at different harmonic pitches. The adjective use is comparatively uncommon in modern English.
Easily confused with unison
Unison emphasizes simultaneous sound or coordinated action, whereas union primarily means the joining of people or things.