diminished

/dɪˈmɪn.ɪʃt/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈmɪn.ɪʃt/ (ame, ipa) · /də-ˈmi-nisht/ (ame, mw)

diminished — adjective

  • diminishedpositive
  • more diminishedcomparative
  • most diminishedsuperlative

1. describes a musical interval that has been made one semitone narrower than its p

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a musical interval that has been made one semitone narrower than its perfect or minor form, producing a noticeably tighter, more tense sound than the standard interval.

例句

Amir played a diminished fifth on the piano, and the class agreed it sounded darker than the perfect fifth.

diminished + fifth naming a specific interval

The guitarist slid his hand up the fretboard to a diminished seventh chord, which hung in the air with an urgent, unresolved feel.

diminished + seventh chord as a harmonic structure

同義詞
  • flattened

    less formal term for lowering a note by a semitone, but 'flattened' refers to a single note rather than the interval between two notes

  • reduced

    general meaning of made smaller; lacks the precise music-theory definition of exactly one semitone narrower

反義詞
  • augmented

    describes an interval made one semitone wider than perfect or major — the opposite direction of change

  • perfect

    the standard, unaltered form of certain intervals (fourth, fifth, octave) before any reduction

  • minor

    the standard form of second, third, sixth, and seventh intervals, which when reduced by one semitone become diminished

文法句型

diminished + [interval name: fifth / seventh / octave]

diminished + [chord type: triad / seventh]

用法筆記

In music theory, only perfect intervals (unison, fourth, fifth, octave) and minor intervals (second, third, sixth, seventh) can be diminished. Major intervals become minor when reduced, not diminished. The term most commonly appears in compound phrases such as 'diminished fifth' or 'diminished seventh chord'.

常見錯誤

❌She played a diminished note on the flute.
✅She played a diminished fifth on the flute.
💡'Diminished' describes an interval or chord, not a single note.
❌The song had a diminished melody.
✅The song used a diminished chord in the bridge.
💡'Diminished' is a technical music term for intervals and chords, not a general description of music quality.