Euphony
noun /ˈjuːf(ə)ni/ — The quality of being beautiful and pleasing to hear.
Definition
The quality of being pleasing to the ear through a combination of agreeable sounds — in music or language; the harmonious quality of words or sounds that flow without friction.
Beyond the definition
Euphony is why certain lines of poetry stop you and demand re-reading aloud. Tennyson understood that language has a sound beyond its meaning. Some names, some phrases, some voices are euphonious simply as vibrations.
Origin & history
From Greek euphonia (sweetness of voice), from eu (well) + phone (voice, sound). The opposite of cacophony — the beautiful voice rather than the bad one.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Tennyson composed for euphony — the sound of his verse was as important as its sense.
The place name had a natural euphony — two syllables that sounded like the place felt.
She chose words for their euphony as much as their precision.
Synonyms
melodiousness, harmony, mellifluousness, pleasantness
Antonyms
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Harmonious Peak Performance
A conductor stands in the middle of an orchestra, arms and body in an expansive, intense, and harmonious gesture during a musical peak.
The conductor’s management of the orchestra at its peak results in euphony. The harmonious quality of the combined sounds flows without friction, creating a pleasing and agreeable auditory experience that is captured by the expansive, controlled energy of the conductor at that moment.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration