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The root of "dissonant" is the Latin verb sonare. Can you guess what "sonare" means? Here's a hint: some related derivatives are "sonata," "supersonic," and "resonance." Does it sound to you as if "sonare" has something to do with sound? If so, you're right. In fact, sonare means "to sound, is related to the Latin noun sonus (meaning "sound"), and is an ancestor of the English word sound. "Dissonant" includes the negative prefix dis-. What is "dissonant," therefore, sounds inharmonic, conflicting, or clashing.
Examples of dissonant in a Sentence
a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
Recent Examples on the Web
Less an adaptation than a dissonant echo of Carrollian logic, Alice is a marvel of handmade horror that channels the darker currents of adolescent imagination and, not unlike Us, treats the inner life of a child not as an innocent refuge but as haunted terrain.
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
Salome, in the grisly final scene, reasserts a degree of tonal stability, but dissonant uproar resumes when Herod commands her death.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
As the title suggests, the songs are not only melancholic but, at times, dissonant.
—Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
The creatively dissonant effort drove a nearly 10% month-over-month increase in store brand sales and a 12% increase across the category; expanded 7-Eleven’s in-house creative agency, producing campaigns faster and cheaper, all while also reducing plastic bag usage by 37%.
—Seth Matlins, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
Salome, in the grisly final scene, reasserts a degree of tonal stability, but dissonant uproar resumes when Herod commands her death.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
As the title suggests, the songs are not only melancholic but, at times, dissonant.
—Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
The creatively dissonant effort drove a nearly 10% month-over-month increase in store brand sales and a 12% increase across the category; expanded 7-Eleven’s in-house creative agency, producing campaigns faster and cheaper, all while also reducing plastic bag usage by 37%.
—Seth Matlins, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Cite this Entry
“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissonant. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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