as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
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Recent Examples of dissonant
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
The book cover, showing a happy couple on a beach accompanied by a dog with a stick in its mouth, seems cheerily dissonant.
—Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
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
The book cover, showing a happy couple on a beach accompanied by a dog with a stick in its mouth, seems cheerily dissonant.
—Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonant
Adjective
-
The orchestration is a touch grotesque, with the first violins given a shrill D two octaves above middle C.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
23 June 2025
-
Still, the shrill alarm that echoed on Friday morning as Israel announced airstrikes on neighboring Iran gave her that familiar feeling.—
Isabel Rivera,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
The world is crowded, noisy, and sometimes hostile.—
F. Willis Johnson,
Twin Cities,
10 July 2025
-
The negatives included noisy wheels and some faulty stitching.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Apart from the occasional timid car—and the less timid, cacophonous crows—the East Nashville community appeared to be following weather warnings and taking advantage of the cozy Friday at home.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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As ovaries decline, hormones change, and a harmonious symphony can turn into a cacophonous noise, impacting the entire body.—
Karina Zaiets,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
But many of the Blues’ outings have been unpleasant because of high temperatures and storms, and six games across the tournament have been paused for poor weather conditions, angering manager Enzo Maresca.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
8 July 2025
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My other wildlife standoff involved a much cuter animal, but potentially far more unpleasant.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
The work’s third movement offers an intriguing pizzicato section, as well moments of discordant — though not somber — unease.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
11 July 2025
-
Nelson’s guitar playing was alternately sweet and jarringly discordant.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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And then, Michael Bay showed up in 2007 and turned the nifty shapeshifters into screeching metallic war machines who died violent digital deaths and rained sparks and destruction upon cities — for seven movies and counting.—
Marc Snetiker,
EW.com,
8 July 2025
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The OnePlus Buds 4 come in two colors Zen Green and Storm Gray, with a matte metallic finish.—
Prakhar Khanna,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Those songs remind Omara of real people and real events, political interludes whose senselessness and brutality have left unmusical lacunae in her life.—
Vinson Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2023
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His parents were unmusical Russian-Jewish immigrants who ran various businesses with mixed success.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
3 Oct. 2019
Adjective
-
Setting Discordant Personal Goals A 2023 study published in Current Psychology finds that partners’ inharmonious goals can have detrimental effects on relationships.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
29 Mar. 2024
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For sixteen hours a week, Valentine hopes to share some melody in a place that, for some, can feel inharmonious.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
24 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonant. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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