Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

tuneless

American  
[toon-lis, tyoon-] / ˈtun lɪs, ˈtyun- /

adjective

  1. unmelodious; unmusical.

  2. making or giving no music; silent.

    In the corner stood a tuneless old piano.
tuneless British  
/ ˈtjuːnlɪs /

adjective

  1. having no melody or tune

  2. poetic not producing or able to produce music; silent

"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

Other Word Forms

  • tunelessly adverb
  • tunelessness noun

Etymology

Origin of tuneless

First recorded in 1585–95; tune + -less

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Entertainment Weekly said "life with the Plastics pretty darn fantastic", but the Hollywood Reporter described the film as a "tuneless mess".

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2024

The fact that this hard-edged and nearly tuneless theme song went to No. 1.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2021

You might remember Spears from her songs, belted out in tuneless unison by a gaggle of sixth-grade girls at a sleepover, perhaps, or viewed over and over on MTV.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2021

The songs may still sound tuneless and bombastic to my ears, but Jackman can not only sell this kind of material, he can sell it for twice its value.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2012

It was like the croaking of a frog, hoarse, tuneless.

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.