atonality

American

[ey-toh-nal-i-tee] / ˌeɪ toʊˈnæl ɪ ti /

noun

Music.

the absence of key or tonal center.
an atonal principle or style of composition.

atonality British

/ ˌæ-, ˌeɪtəʊˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

absence of or disregard for an established musical key in a composition
the principles of composition embodying this and providing a radical alternative to the diatonic system

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of atonality

First recorded in 1920–25; atonal + -ity

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023