Unison Means One Sound
To speak in unison is to speak together. The word is built from the Latin for one sound, and in music it means singing the same note.
Unison means acting or sounding together. The construction is exact: Latin *unus*, one, plus *sonus*, sound. In music it is a technical term — voices in unison sing the same note, as distinct from harmony, where they sing different notes that fit together. In everyday use it has widened to mean any coordinated action.
- Together, at the same time. *They answered in unison.*
- The same note. *Sung in unison, not in harmony.*
- Agreement. *The committee acted in unison.*
- Unisonous — rare adjective. *Unisonous voices.*
- Harmony — the contrast. *Two-part harmony.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | unison | In unison. |
| Latin | unus | One. |
| Latin | sonus | Sound. |
| Related | unity | A sense of unity. |
| Contrast | harmony | Close harmony. |
- The class replied in unison.Speech.
- The second verse is sung in unison.Music.
- The two governments moved in unison.Coordinated action.
Unison, harmony, octave
- Unison — exactly the same note
- Octave — the same note name, eight steps apart; often loosely called unison
- Harmony — different notes sounding together
- Monophony — a single melodic line, with or without unison voices
- Polyphony — several independent lines at once
Medieval Latin *unisonus*, having one sound, from *unus* and *sonus*. English took it as a musical term in the 1500s.
What is the difference between unison and harmony?
Unison is everyone on the same note. Harmony is different notes sounding together.
Can men and women sing in unison?
Usually they sing an octave apart, which musicians often still call unison in ordinary speech.