Consonant
/ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant sound generally being a vowel.
nounA letter representing the sound of a consonant.
Sentence Examples
The letter T is a common consonant.
What is your favorite consonant?
This consonant tends to become voiced between vowels.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Every ____ in the alphabet is represented in that short phrase.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In English grammar, the letter 'b' is a typical ____, while the letter 'a' is a vowel.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφωνον (súmphōnon).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well."
— 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
"“Tell me, has right anything to do with the law?” I asked. “You have used the wrong initial consonant,” he smiled in answer. “Might?” I queried; and he nodded his head."
— 1908 February 19, Jack London, chapter 4, in The Iron Heel, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC:
"Each one pretends that his opinion […] is consonant to the words there used."
— 1710, William Beveridge, The true nature of the Christian church, the office of its ministers, and the means of grace administred by them explain'd. In twelve sermons:
"Cheerfulness, even gaiety, is consonant with every species of virtue and practice of religion, and I think it inconsistent only with impiety and vice."
— 1900, Sabine Baring-Gould, “The Rev. Mr. Carter, Parson-Publican”, in Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events:
"No Russian whose dissonant consonant name / Almost shatters to fragments the trumpet of fame."
— 1813, Thomas Moore, Intercepted Letters, or the Two-Penny Post-Bag:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Every ____ in the alphabet is represented in that short phrase.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In English grammar, the letter 'b' is a typical ____, while the letter 'a' is a vowel.