dissonant

[ dis-uh-nuhnt ]

adjective

1. disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant.
2. out of harmony; incongruous; at variance.

   Synonyms: inconsistent, incongruent, incompatible

3. Music. characterized by dissonance.

dissonant

/ ˈdɪsənənt /

adjective

1. discordant; cacophonous
2. incongruous or discrepant
3. music characterized by dissonance

Derived Forms

• ˈdissonantly, adverb

Other Word Forms

• disso·nant·ly adverb
• un·disso·nant adjective
• un·disso·nant·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dissonant¹

1400–50; late Middle English dissonaunte (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dissonant- (stem of dissonāns, present participle of dissonāre to sound harsh), equivalent to disson- (derivative of dissonus discordant; dis- ¹, sound ¹ ) + -ant- -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of dissonant¹

C15: from Latin dissonāre to be discordant, from dis- ¹+ sonāre to sound

Example Sentences

Experts say that the merger strikes a dissonant chord from a branding perspective too.

From BBC

We sent a dissonant chorus of our own to the Whitney Museum of American Art: three critics, each writing separately, on the highs and lows of the exhibition everyone will have an opinion about.

From New York Times

More recently, scholars have tried to find psychological explanations, but these 'integer ratios' are still credited with making a chord sound beautiful, and deviation from them is thought to make music 'dissonant', unpleasant sounding.

From Science Daily

The dissonant stacked intervals emanating from the orchestra pit highlights Louise Little — Malcolm’s mother — while she frets, waiting for her husband to come home.

From Seattle Times

For example, dissonant, atonal harmonies convey a sense of unrest.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• differing
• discordant
• incongruous