CONSONANT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does consonant mean? 

• CONSONANT (noun)
  The noun CONSONANT has 2 senses:

1. a speech sound that is not a vowel

2. a letter of the alphabet standing for a spoken consonant

  Familiarity information: CONSONANT used as a noun is rare.

• CONSONANT (adjective)
  The adjective CONSONANT has 2 senses:

1. involving or characterized by harmony

2. in keeping

  Familiarity information: CONSONANT used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CONSONANT (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)

• CONSONANT (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Involving or characterized by harmony

Synonyms:

consonant; harmonic; harmonical; harmonised; harmonized

Similar:

harmonious (musically pleasing)

Derivation:

consonance (the property of sounding harmonious)

Sense 2

Meaning:

In keeping

Synonyms:

accordant; agreeable; concordant; conformable; consonant

Context example:

expressed views concordant with his background

Similar:

consistent ((sometimes followed by 'with') in agreement or consistent or reliable)

 Context examples 

When he grew excited or enthusiastic, however, he dropped back into the old slurring and the dropping of final consonants.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

An exaggerated feeling of physical and emotional well-being not consonant with apparent stimuli or events; usually of psychologic origin, but also seen in organic brain disease and toxic states.

(Euphoria, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A disorder characterized by the failure to use developmentally expected speech sounds that are appropriate for the individual's age (i.e., the individual makes errors in sound production or use or omits sounds such as final consonants).

(Phonological Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)