counterpoint
Other forms: counterpoints; counterpointed; counterpointing
A counterpoint is something that contrasts, and to counterpoint is to provide a contrast. In music, counterpoint is when two separate melodies are played or sung at the same time.
When a composer writes a piece of music using voices that follow different rhythms or pitches but ultimately come together harmonically, she uses counterpoint. And if you're on the school debate time, you might offer a counterpoint to an opponent's argument. You can also use this word as a verb to mean "to highlight difference:" "My tidy bookshelves counterpoint the mess of papers and books on my desk."
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an element, idea, or argument used to create a contrast
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show differences when compared; be different
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a musical form involving the simultaneous sound of two or more melodiestype of:concerted music, polyphonic music, polyphonymusic arranged in parts for several voices or instruments
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write in counterpoint
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Vocabulary lists containing counterpoint
A series of linked stories explores the lifelong effects of trauma on a platoon of soldiers during and after the Vietnam War.
After learning that her blood is gold instead of red, sixteen-year-old Deka is forced to fight for the emperor of Otera by joining the alaki — an army of nearly immortal girls with golden blood and superhuman gifts.