noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/kənˈtɑːtə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɑːtə
CMU ARPABET:K AE2 N T AA1 T AH0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian music.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: oratorio
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: classical music, classical, serious music
Narrower terms: Messiah
History
Etymology
From Italian cantata. Doublet of chanty.
Across languages
Translations
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
kantate
— cantata
Armenian:
կանտատա
(kantata)
— cantata
Catalan:
cantata
— cantata
Chinese Mandarin:
康塔塔
(kāngtǎtǎ)
— cantata
Chinese Mandarin:
清唱套曲
(qīngchàng tàoqǔ)
— cantata