counterpoint
/ˈkaʊntə(ɹ)ˌpɔɪnt/
counterpoint noun: 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. Also the obsolete form of counterpane.
Noun
counterpoint (countable and uncountable, plural counterpoints)
- 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.
- 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.2009, Roger T. Dean, The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music
- Any similar contrasting element in a work of art.
- 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.2014, Nancy M. Marion, Willard M. Oliver, Drugs In American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics and the Law, page 188
- An opposite point.
- […] Priests; who affecting in them selves and their followers a certein Angelical puritie, fell sodainly to the very counterpoint of justifying bestialitie.1605, Sir Edwin Sandys, Europae Speculum [A Relation of the State of Religion in Europe], in Mary Ellen Henley, Sir Edwin Sandy's Europae Speculum: a Critical Edition (2001)
Verb
counterpoint (third-person singular simple present counterpoints, present participle counterpointing, simple past and past participle counterpointed)
- To compose or arrange such music.
- To serve as an opposing point against.
- […] 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...2011, Paul-François Tremlett, Religion and the Discourse on Modernity
Also used as
counterpoint is also the obsolete form of counterpane.
counterpoint meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
counterpoint in Hindi
- काउंटरप्वाइंट, काउंटरप्वाइन्ट
counterpoint in Tamil
- எதிர்ப்புள்ளி
counterpoint in Marathi
- काउंटरपॉईंट
counterpoint in Urdu
- کاؤنٹرپوائنٹ
More languagesFewer languages
- counterpoint in Bengali
- পাল্টা পয়েন্ট, পাল্টা বিন্দু, কাউন্টারপয়েন্ট
- counterpoint in Telugu
- కౌంటర్ పాయింట్
- counterpoint in Malayalam
- കൌണ്ടർപോയിന്റ്
- counterpoint in Kannada
- ಕೌಂಟರ್ ಪಾಯಿಂಟ್
- counterpoint in Punjabi
- ਕਾਊਂਟਰਪੁਆਇੰਟ, ਕਾਊਂਟਰਪੁਇੰਟ
- counterpoint in Gujarati
- કાઉન્ટરપોઈન્ટ, કાઉન્ટરપોઇન્ટ
- counterpoint in Nepali
- काउन्टरपोइन्ट, काउन्टरप्वाइन्ट, काउंटरपोइन्ट
- counterpoint in Indonesian
- kontrapung
- counterpoint in Persian
- کنترپوئن kontrpu'an
Examples of counterpoint in a sentence
- The counterpoint began on a low A-sharp.
- Every point and counterpoint is peppered with derisive terms such as "Windoze," "File Mangler," and "PeeCees."
- These counterpoints can't really be forced in an urban exploration setting, but keep your eye out for locations that offer them.
Synonyms of counterpoint
- contrapuntal music
- polyphony
Forms of counterpoint
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | counterpoints |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | counterpoints |
| present participle | counterpointing |
| past participle | counterpointed |
| past | counterpointed |
Origin of counterpoint
Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Middle French contrepoint, from Medieval Latin contrāpūnctum. Equivalent to counter- + point.
From Old French contrepointe, a corruption of coultepointe, from Latin culcita puncta, i.e. a stitched pillow or cover. See quilt.
Questions about counterpoint
- What does counterpoint mean?
- Counterpoint means 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.
- What is counterpoint in Hindi?
- Counterpoint in Hindi is काउंटरप्वाइंट, काउंटरप्वाइन्ट. See Counterpoint meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is counterpoint?
- Counterpoint can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce counterpoint?
- Counterpoint is pronounced /ˈkaʊntə(ɹ)ˌpɔɪnt/.
- What is the plural of counterpoint?
- The plural of counterpoint is counterpoints.
Words near counterpoint in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: counterpoint (page history and authors); counterpoint (Hindi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Urdu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); counterpoint (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-counterpoint.wav.
Cite this entry: “counterpoint.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/counterpoint. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.