Standard Lemma guide

serialism

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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Music, especially from the 20th century, in which themes are based on a definite order of notes of an equal-tempered scale.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: serial music

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

20th century music that uses a definite order of notes as a thematic basis for a musical composition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: serial music

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: music

Narrower terms: twelve-tone music, 12-tone music, twelve-tone system, 12-tone system

History

Etymology

From serial + -ism. Calque of the German Reihenmusik.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: serialismus — music
  • French: sérialisme — music