Meanings
plural diminished fifths
- entertainmentA type of tritone in musical composition formed by narrowing a perfect fifth by one chromatic semitones. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it spans five diatonic scale degrees like a perfect fifth but narrower by a semitone. The number of diatonic degrees it spans is what distinguishes it from an augmented fourth.
C - G is a perfect fifth, C - G♭ is a diminished fifth, and C - G# is an augmented fifth.
Synonyms: flatted fifth
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA type of tritone in musical composition formed by narrowing a perfect fifth by one chromatic semitones. In twelve-tone equal temperament, it spans five diatonic scale degrees like a perfect fifth but narrower by a semitone. The number of diatonic degrees it spans is what distinguishes it from an augmented fourth.
Cite this entry
diminished fifth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20fifth
“diminished fifth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20fifth. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diminished fifth,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diminished%20fifth.
Source: diminished fifth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.