dissonance
Americannoun
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inharmonious or harsh sound; discord; cacophony.
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Music.
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a simultaneous combination of tones conventionally accepted as being in a state of unrest and needing completion.
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an unresolved, discordant chord or interval.
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disagreement or incongruity.
noun
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a discordant combination of sounds
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lack of agreement or consistency
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music
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a sensation commonly associated with all intervals of the second and seventh, all diminished and augmented intervals, and all chords based on these intervals Compare consonance
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an interval or chord of this kind
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Usage
What does dissonance mean? Dissonance is harsh, inharmonious noise—cacophony.It can also refer to stark disagreement or lack of consistency.In both cases, a close synonym is discord.In the context of music, the word dissonance is used in a specific way to refer to a combination of sounds thought to be inharmonious (often ones intentionally composed to be so). It can also refer to a chord or interval that features such disharmony.In music and in general, dissonance is the opposite of consonance, which means harmony, agreement, or accord.In psychology, the term cognitive dissonance refers to the unease a person feels when they have two or more contradictory or incompatible beliefs.An adjective form of dissonance is dissonant.Example: Leaders in both factions of the party promised harmony, but so far there has been nothing but dissonance and constant arguing.
Etymology
Origin of dissonance
1565–75; < Late Latin dissonantia, equivalent to disson- ( dissonant ) + -antia -ance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When “Frankenstein” was first published without Shelley’s name, and chatter about its author began to spread, an early commentary in the British Critic scorned the dissonance between Shelley’s womanhood and the novel’s monstrous narrative.
From Salon
He started running cross-country in fifth grade and it brought him a sense of freedom — from the dissonance inside his mind as well as from the house.
From Los Angeles Times
“Here Lies Love” seemed to want its audience to leave with an aftertaste of cognitive dissonance.
From Los Angeles Times
The collective cognitive dissonance on display in San Francisco during Super Bowl LX exposed how warped many American’s perceptions of our greatest cities are.
From Salon
In the throes of cognitive dissonance, I ignored the vow and fell in love with Renée.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
