homophonic

adjective

ho·​mo·​pho·​nic ˌhä-mə-ˈfä-nik How to pronounce homophonic (audio)
ˌhō-,
-ˈfō-
1
2
: of or relating to homophones
homophony noun

Examples of homophonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
How does this make any sense except as a very stupid, clumsy, idiotic no good way to give us a homophonic bridge to Gandalf. Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 The content creator also used a homophonic slur at several points throughout the clip. Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2024 The letters used what’s known as a homophonic cipher, the researchers explain in a study published on Tuesday in the journal Cryptologia. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 8 Feb. 2023 The encryption turned out to be a homophonic cipher, in which each letter of the alphabet can be encoded in several different ways. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Feb. 2023 So homophonic ciphers used multiple symbols interchangeably for high-frequency letters, Lasry says. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 8 Feb. 2023 Mary used what is called a homophonic cipher, where each letter is replaced with a certain symbol. Town & Country, 8 Feb. 2023 The ciphers were homophonic, meaning each letter of the alphabet could be encoded using several cipher symbols, according to the researchers. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Feb. 2023 The data set for evaluating the model consisted of homophonic puns, normal sentences, and ambiguous nonsense sentences. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2014

Word History

Etymology

Greek homophōnos being in unison, from hom- + phōnē sound — more at ban entry 1

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of homophonic was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near homophonic

Cite this Entry

“Homophonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homophonic. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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