Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having the same vowel sound occurring with different consonants in successive words or stressed syllables: This describes a literary device, a type of rhyme where the vowel sounds match but the consonant sounds differ.
   • Having the same sound (especially the same vowel sound) occurring in successive stressed syllables: This refers to the repetition of similar vowel sounds in close proximity, creating a musical or rhythmic effect in language.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The poet used assonant phrases to create a haunting melody within the verse.
  • The line "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" is famous for its assonant 'ai' sound.
  • An assonant echo can be heard in the words "lake" and "fate."

Advanced Usage

• Literary Analysis: The term is primarily used in the analysis of poetry and prose to describe sound patterns.
  • The critic praised the author's skillful use of assonant echoes to unify the stanza.
• Phonetics and Linguistics: Used to describe phonetic similarity in vowel sounds irrespective of spelling.
  • In linguistics, we study how assonant pairs like "hot" and "rock" share the same vowel phoneme.

Variants and Related Words

• Assonance (n): The stylistic device or phonetic phenomenon itself.
  • The poem's beauty lies in its subtle assonance.
• Assonantal (adj): A less common variant meaning pertaining to assonance.

Synonyms

• Vowel rhyme: A direct synonym emphasizing the rhyming of vowel sounds.
• Slant rhyme: A broader term that can include assonance as well as consonance (rhyme of consonants).

Antonyms

• Consonant: In the context of sound patterns, this refers to repetition of consonant sounds (consonance).
• Dissonant: Harsh or inharmonious in sound; lacking harmony or agreement.

Adjective

1. having the same vowel sound occurring with different consonants in successive words or stressed syllables
2. having the same sound (especially the same vowel sound) occurring in successive stressed syllables
   • note the assonant words and syllables in `tilting at windmills'