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triad

noun

Simple meaning

A set of three similar things considered as a unit.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

tryad

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtɹaɪæd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A set of three similar things considered as a unit

  2. Three people considered as a unit

  3. music

    A three-note major or minor chord; a note and its third and fifth tones

  4. music

    A chord consisting of a root tone, the tone two degrees higher, and the tone four degrees higher in a given scale OR any chord with three notes.

  5. A branch of a Chinese underground criminal society, mostly based in Hong Kong.

  6. A word of three syllables.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A set of three similar things considered as a unit

Used this way, triad is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Set / three

major triadminor triad

Other combinations

diminished triadportal triadtonic triadclassic triadtriad societyfirst triad

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • trine

    A group of three things.

  • leash

    A group of three.

  • trio

    A group of three people or things.

  • three

    Anything measuring three units, as length.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: set of three similar things considered as a unit

three

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.