Basic Details
Word: Harmony
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A pleasing mix of musical notes played or sung together; also a peaceful state in which people or things agree and fit well together.
Synonyms: agreement, peace, unity, accord
Antonyms: discord, conflict, disagreement
Word origin: Comes from Greek harmonia, 'joining' or 'agreement'.
How to Spell Harmony
Syllables: har - mo - ny
Tricky part: The middle vowel is o, though it is said weakly, so students write harmany or harmeny. The word ends in a plain y, not ey.
Watch out for: harmany, harmoney, harmonie
Memory tip: The harmonium played at bhajans gives you the start: harmon-ium, harmon-y. Both keep harmon.
Idioms and Phrases
- in harmony with: in agreement with, or fitting well with Example: "The architect wanted the new library to be in harmony with the old trees around it."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Our choir sang the song in four-part harmony.
Example 2: People of many faiths live in harmony in our colony.
Example 3: The colours of the sari are in perfect harmony.
Fun Fact
In music, harmony means notes sounded at the same time, while melody means notes heard one after another.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word harmony as used in the sentence:
After the long strike ended, harmony slowly returned to the factory floor.
a) peace
b) unity
c) friendship
d) discord
Show answer
d) discord. Discord means quarrelling and disagreement, the reverse of harmony.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The school orchestra practised for weeks, and on the final evening the violins and flutes played in such perfect harmoney that the audience asked them to play the piece again.
a) practised
b) harmoney
c) orchestra
d) audience
Show answer
b) harmoney. There is no e at the end of harmony; it finishes with a single y, like melody.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. harmony 2. melodey 3. orchestera 4. simphony
a) a large group of musicians
b) a pleasing blend of notes sung or played together
c) a long piece of music for a full orchestra
d) a pleasant tune
Show answer
b) a pleasing blend of notes sung or played together. Melody has no e before its y, symphony needs a y after the s, and orchestra has no e between the t and the r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A singer who adds harmony to a song ____.
a) stops singing during the chorus
b) claps along to the beat
c) sings the same notes but much louder
d) sings different notes that blend with the tune
Show answer
d) sings different notes that blend with the tune
2. Colours that are in harmony ____.
a) cost a lot
b) look pleasing together
c) fade very fast
d) clash loudly
Show answer
b) look pleasing together
