tritone

noun

tri·​tone ˈtrī-ˌtōn How to pronounce tritone (audio)
: a musical interval of three whole steps

Examples of tritone in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Chords have cultural identities attached to them: major triads are bright, minor triads are gloomy, perfect fifths are sturdy, tritones and semitones are unsettling. — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 Bulgari is also making history by adding a new tune to a range of chiming timepieces, introducing tritone harmonic intervals, created in collaboration with the Italian-Swiss conductor Lorenzo Viotti. — Luisa Zargani, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Greek tritonon, from tri- + tonos tone

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tritone was in 1609

Rhymes for tritone

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Browse Nearby Words

Triton's horn
tritone
tritonia
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Cite this Entry

“Tritone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tritone. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tritone

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tritone

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