| Learning / English Dictionary |
CONSONANT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A speech sound that is not a vowel
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("consonant" is a kind of...):
phone; sound; speech sound ((phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "consonant"):
alveolar; alveolar consonant; dental; dental consonant (a consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue near the gum ridge)
obstruent (a consonant that is produced with a partial or complete blockage of the airflow from the lungs through the nose or mouth)
aspirate (a consonant pronounced with aspiration)
labial; labial consonant (a consonant whose articulation involves movement of the lips)
labiodental; labiodental consonant (a consonant whose articulation involves the lips and teeth)
nasal; nasal consonant (a consonant produced through the nose with the mouth closed)
lingual (a consonant that is produced with the tongue and other speech organs)
liquid (a frictionless continuant that is not a nasal consonant (especially 'l' and 'r'))
geminate (a doubled or long consonant)
surd; voiceless consonant (a consonant produced without sound from the vocal cords)
velar; velar consonant (a consonant produced with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palate)
guttural; guttural consonant; pharyngeal; pharyngeal consonant (a consonant articulated in the back of the mouth or throat)
Antonym:
vowel (a speech sound made with the vocal tract open)
Derivation:
consonantal (being or marked by or containing or functioning as a consonant)
consonantal (relating to or having the nature of a consonant)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A letter of the alphabet standing for a spoken consonant
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("consonant" is a kind of...):
alphabetic character; letter; letter of the alphabet (the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
In keeping
Example:
expressed views concordant with his background
Synonyms:
accordant; agreeable; concordant; conformable; consonant
Classified under:
Similar:
consistent ((sometimes followed by 'with') in agreement or consistent or reliable)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Involving or characterized by harmony
Synonyms:
consonant; harmonic; harmonical; harmonised; harmonized
Classified under:
Similar:
harmonious (musically pleasing)
Derivation:
consonance (the property of sounding harmonious)
