Unison
n.kind, joyfuleveryday
Meaning 1
Simultaneous action or speech performed together.
Reach for it when Describing people moving, speaking, or responding at the same moment.
At the conductor's nod, the children breathed in unison.
Choose between these
3- everyday
plain simultaneous action is enough
not when does not imply exact timing
- formal
in concert
coordinated action serves a shared aim
not when does not require everyone acting identically
- literary
as one
collective action should feel vivid and united
not when can imply agreement rather than simultaneity
Meaning 2
The same musical pitch sounded by multiple voices or instruments.
Reach for it when Using the precise musical term for a shared note rather than harmony.
The melody began in unison before opening into four parts.
Choose between these
3- professional
octaves
voices sing equivalent notes at different registers
not when not strict unison under every musical convention
- professional
same pitch
musical precision matters more than style
not when an explanatory phrase rather than a performance term
- formal
monophony
a single melodic line is the technical feature
not when can include one performer, unlike unison
Said against
3- separately
- discord
- harmony
It naturally appears in
3- in unison
The rowers leaned forward in unison as the bell sounded.
- speak in unison
The class will speak in unison for the final line.
- sing in unison
The altos sing in unison before dividing at the refrain.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, noun: simultaneous performance or action opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- wiktionary, noun music: same pitch sounded together opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.