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 Words From

• 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

Who became an accomplished concert pianist before she tuned her ear to the more dissonant chords of international relations.

From The Daily Beast

It was something more than harsh and dissonant, and it betrayed no lack of skill.

From The Daily Beast

Dissonant music that might otherwise be found in a Kubrick film portend to the worst.

From The Daily Beast

Benedict has made nice to Muslims since that dissonant Islam speech, praying at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul in 2006.

From The Daily Beast

It produced comparatively little foundation tone and a powerful chord of harmonics, many of them dissonant.

From Project Gutenberg

No Russian, whose dissonant, consonant name Almost rattles to fragments the trumpet of fame?Postscript.

From Project Gutenberg

Christmas, too, closed, and the steeples no longer jangled forth a dissonant peal.

From Project Gutenberg

Practise dissonant chords until they please the ear in spite of their sharpness.

From Project Gutenberg

It was followed by shouts of dissonant laughter, unlike the cheering sounds of human mirth.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• differing
• discordant
• incongruous