ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Counterpoint

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈkaʊntə(ɹ)ˌpɔɪnt/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Counterpoint is a noun meaning Any similar contrasting element in a work of art.

Meaning

Any similar contrasting element in a work of art.

More Meanings

  1. An opposite point.
  2. (transitive) To compose or arrange such music.
  3. (transitive) To serve as an opposing point against.
  4. (music) A melody added to an existing one, especially one added to provide harmony whilst each retains its simultaneous identity; a composition consisting of such contrapuntal melodies.
  5. Obsolete form of counterpane.

Example Sentences

[…] Priests; who affecting in them selves and their followers a certein Angelical puritie, fell sodainly to the very counterpoint of justifying bestialitie.
I noticed […] that when a very cheesy synthesized violin sound plays in counterpoint with a real violin, it can quite convincingly seem as if two violins are playing.
As counterpoints to the glamorous looks of 1980s models such as Chistie Brinkley and Heidi Klum, heroin chic looks such as Kate Moss were thin to the point of anorectic gauntness.
[…] the dominant discourse on theory and method in the study of religions remains stuck on the debate about reductionism, which is in turn bent on representing the debate about theory and method in the study of religions as a choice between an unscientific phenomenology or an unsympathetic positivism (for phenomenology the idea that explanation is always 'bad' is perfectly counterpointed by the idea that religion is always 'good').

Word Forms

Synonyms for counterpoint

Depending on context, synonyms include polyphony, contrast.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include contrast, counterpart, contrasts, antithesis, foil, complement.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.