Standard Lemma guide

quartet

noun · 9 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.

  • /kwɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛt
  • CMU ARPABET: K W AO0 R T EH1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A group of four people or things, particularly

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A group of four people or things, particularly

A group of four musicians who perform classical music together.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

Examples

  • The string quartet played some chamber music.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A group of four people or things, particularly

A musical composition in four parts, each performed by a single voice or instrument.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

Examples

  • He composed a string quartet.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A group of four people or things, particularly

A group of four singers that sing together in four-part harmony.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

Examples

  • The barbershop quartet performed the composition a cappella.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a musical composition for four performers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quartette

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: musical composition, opus, composition, piece, piece of music

6

noun

Meaning 6

four people considered as a unit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he joined a barbershop quartet
  • the foursome teed off before 9 a.m.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quartette, foursome

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gathering, assemblage

Narrower terms: quadrumvirate

7

noun

Meaning 7

a set of four similar things considered as a unit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quartette, quadruplet, quadruple

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: set

8

noun

Meaning 8

four performers or singers who perform together

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quartette

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: musical organization, musical organisation, musical group

Narrower terms: barbershop quartet, string quartet, string quartette

9

noun

Meaning 9

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: four, 4, IV, tetrad, quatern, quaternion, quaternary, quaternity, quadruplet, foursome, Little Joe

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: digit, figure

History

Etymology

From French quartette, from Italian quartetto. Doublet of cuarteto and quartetto.

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: четворка (četvorka) — group of four
  • Danish: kvartet — group of four
  • Dutch: viertal — group of four
  • Dutch: kwartet — group of four
  • Finnish: nelikko — group of four
  • Finnish: nelikkö — group of four
  • French: quatuor — group of four
  • French: quadrille — group of four
  • Georgian: კვარტეტი (ḳvarṭeṭi) — group of four
  • German: Quartett — group of four
  • Hungarian: négyes — group of four
  • Italian: quartetto — group of four
  • Japanese: 四人組 (yoningumi) — group of four
  • Māori: tokowhā — group of four
  • Portuguese: quarteto — group of four
  • Russian: кварте́т (kvartét) — group of four
  • Russian: четвёрка (četvjórka) — group of four
  • Russian: че́тверо (čétvero) — group of four
  • Spanish: cuarteto — group of four
  • Swedish: kvartett — group of four
  • Bulgarian: квартет (kvartet) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Catalan: quartet — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Chinese Mandarin: 四重奏 (sìchóngzòu) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Czech: kvarteto — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Danish: kvartet — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Dutch: kwartet — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Finnish: kvartetti — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • French: quatuor — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • French: quartette — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Georgian: კვარტეტი (ḳvarṭeṭi) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • German: Quartett — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Hungarian: kvartett — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Hungarian: négyes — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Italian: quartetto — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Japanese: カルテット (karutetto) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Japanese: 四重唱 (shijūshō) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Korean: 콰르텟 (kwareutet) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Korean: 사중주 (sajungju) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kvartett — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kvartett — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Polish: kwartet — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Portuguese: quarteto — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Russian: кварте́т (kvartét) — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Slovene: kvartet — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Spanish: cuarteto — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Swedish: kvartett — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Tagalog: kuwarteto — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Welsh: pedwarawd — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Welsh: pedrawd — four musicians who perform a piece of music together
  • Bulgarian: квартет (kvartet) — musical composition for four musicians
  • Catalan: quartet — musical composition for four musicians
  • Chinese Mandarin: 四重奏 (sìchóngzòu) — musical composition for four musicians
  • Czech: kvartet — musical composition for four musicians
  • Danish: kvartet — musical composition for four musicians
  • Dutch: kwartet — musical composition for four musicians
  • Finnish: kvartetti — musical composition for four musicians
  • French: quatuor — musical composition for four musicians
  • French: quartette — musical composition for four musicians
  • Georgian: კვარტეტი (ḳvarṭeṭi) — musical composition for four musicians
  • German: Quartett — musical composition for four musicians
  • Hungarian: kvartett — musical composition for four musicians
  • Interlingua: quartetto — musical composition for four musicians
  • Italian: quartetto — musical composition for four musicians
  • Japanese: カルテット (karutetto) — musical composition for four musicians
  • Japanese: 四重奏 (shijūsō) — musical composition for four musicians
  • Korean: 콰르텟 (kwareutet) — musical composition for four musicians
  • Korean: 사중주 (sajungju) — musical composition for four musicians
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kvartett — musical composition for four musicians
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kvartett — musical composition for four musicians
  • Portuguese: quarteto — musical composition for four musicians
  • Romanian: cvartet — musical composition for four musicians
  • Russian: кварте́т (kvartét) — musical composition for four musicians
  • Slovene: kvartet — musical composition for four musicians
  • Spanish: cuarteto — musical composition for four musicians
  • Swedish: kvartett — musical composition for four musicians
  • Tagalog: kuwarteto — musical composition for four musicians
Real reading context

quartet in complete knowledge articles