atonality

[ 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.

Nearby words

atomizer, atomy, aton, atonal, atonalism, atonality, atone, atonement, atonement, day of, atonia, atonic

Origin of atonality

First recorded in 1920–25; atonal + -ity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for atonality

The first article, published in March 2000, was on atonality by a scholar at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for atonality

atonality

/ (ˌeɪtəʊˈnælɪtɪ, ˌæ-) /

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

Compare tonality

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

Word Origin and History for atonality

atonality

1950; see atonal + -ity.