con·so·nant
ˈkän(t)-s(ə-)nənt 
1
: being in agreement or harmony : free from elements making for discord
The decision was consonant with the company's usual practice.
2
: marked by musical consonances
consonant chords
3
: having similar sounds
consonant words
4
: relating to or exhibiting consonance : resonant
consonantly
adverb
: one of a class of speech sounds (such as \p\, \g\, \n\, \l\, \s\, \r\) characterized by constriction or closure at one or more points in the breath channel
also
: a letter representing a consonant
—usually used in English of any letter except a, e, i, o, and u
Synonyms
Examples of consonant in a Sentence
Adjective
the temples and palaces of ancient Greece are among the most consonant buildings in architectural history
his gentle behavior is consonant with his expressed belief in pacifism
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
By age, regardless of the protests on college campuses, views on U.S. policy among adults aged 18-24 are largely consonant with those among all adults.
—Gary Langer, ABC News, 3 May 2024
Her harmonic language is largely consonant, owing something to John Adams perhaps in its drawing at liberty on all seven notes of the major scale, spotlighting some pitches in a rhythmically free idiom.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
That’s not really consonant with a sustainable civilization.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2013
They were consonant with the goals of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), a bipartisan piece of federal legislation supported by both Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and Democratic stalwart Sen. Ted Kennedy.
—Gary Marvin Davison, Star Tribune, 17 Feb. 2021
The left hand oscillates bare, somber chords, while the right hand interrupts above with the twittering of birdsong, an eerie effect which ultimately resolves with right and left hands together in full consonant harmonies.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Jan. 2023
These would then subside into subdued textures marked by consonant harmonies.
—Dallas News, 23 Feb. 2022
In other words, perhaps advanced economies necessarily need and foster a level of gender equality which formal polygamy is simply not consonant with?
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2010
T. Nelson Thompson, Baltimore Sun, 14 June 2024
That beautiful language, with its lilting consonants and arpeggios of vowels.
—Lina Mounzer, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Apr. 2023
This was all consonant with Biden’s worker-centric agenda.
—Heidi Crebo-Rediker, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
Please note the spoonerisms throughout, that is, the reversals of initial consonant sounds:
The Easter Bunny’s a funny beast,
Gobbling down his bunny feast.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
The multinational taking over The Connector is the consonant cluster VorschlagXE.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Snare was just another guess similar to words like crane and so forth that make good use of common vowels and consonants.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The Clue: This word has more vowels than consonants.
.
.
.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: The Clue: This word has far more consonants than vowels.
.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Where the republic’s hypocrisy fed its fatal weakness, corruption, the Taliban’s unabashed brutality was consonant with the movement’s strength, its unity.
—Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
By age, regardless of the protests on college campuses, views on U.S. policy among adults aged 18-24 are largely consonant with those among all adults.
—Gary Langer, ABC News, 3 May 2024
Her harmonic language is largely consonant, owing something to John Adams perhaps in its drawing at liberty on all seven notes of the major scale, spotlighting some pitches in a rhythmically free idiom.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
That’s not really consonant with a sustainable civilization.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2013
They were consonant with the goals of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), a bipartisan piece of federal legislation supported by both Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and Democratic stalwart Sen. Ted Kennedy.
—Gary Marvin Davison, Star Tribune, 17 Feb. 2021
The left hand oscillates bare, somber chords, while the right hand interrupts above with the twittering of birdsong, an eerie effect which ultimately resolves with right and left hands together in full consonant harmonies.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Jan. 2023
These would then subside into subdued textures marked by consonant harmonies.
—Dallas News, 23 Feb. 2022
In other words, perhaps advanced economies necessarily need and foster a level of gender equality which formal polygamy is simply not consonant with?
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2010
Noun
That would require a lexicon of vowels and consonants sizable enough to develop into grammar.
—T. Nelson Thompson, Baltimore Sun, 14 June 2024
That beautiful language, with its lilting consonants and arpeggios of vowels.
—Lina Mounzer, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Apr. 2023
This was all consonant with Biden’s worker-centric agenda.
—Heidi Crebo-Rediker, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
Please note the spoonerisms throughout, that is, the reversals of initial consonant sounds:
The Easter Bunny’s a funny beast,
Gobbling down his bunny feast.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
The multinational taking over The Connector is the consonant cluster VorschlagXE.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Snare was just another guess similar to words like crane and so forth that make good use of common vowels and consonants.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The Clue: This word has more vowels than consonants.
.
.
.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: The Clue: This word has far more consonants than vowels.
.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consonant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to consonant
Dictionary Entries Near consonant
Cite this Entry
“Consonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consonant. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
consonant
1 of 2 adjective
con·so·nant
ˈkän(t)-s(ə-)nənt
: being in harmony or agreement
consonantly
adverb
consonant
2 of 2 noun1
: a speech sound (as \p\, \n\, or \s\) produced by narrowing or closing the breath channel at one or more points
2
: a letter representing a consonant
especially
: any letter of the English alphabet except a, e, i, o, and u
consonantal
adjective
ˌkän(t)-sə-ˈnant-ᵊl
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