dissonant

adjective

dis·​so·​nant ˈdi-sə-nənt How to pronounce dissonant (audio)
1
: marked by dissonance : discordant
2
3
: harmonically unresolved
dissonantly adverb

Did you know?

The root of "dissonant" is the Latin verb sonare. Can you guess what "sonare" means? Here's a hint: some related derivatives are "sonata," "supersonic," and "resonance." Does it sound to you as if "sonare" has something to do with sound? If so, you're right. In fact, sonare means "to sound, is related to the Latin noun sonus (meaning "sound"), and is an ancestor of the English word sound. "Dissonant" includes the negative prefix dis-. What is "dissonant," therefore, sounds inharmonic, conflicting, or clashing.

Examples of dissonant in a Sentence

a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
Recent Examples on the Web Most people who compose for film think the music and the actions of the people in the film have to be consonant or dissonant. Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 9 Feb. 2024 But Ruo has the narrator read out the book’s entire introduction over the somber clanging of mildly dissonant chords, sapping the score of momentum and focus. An Epic Set, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2024 The huge, dissonant piano cluster at the end seems to signify Ellington’s justified anger about Gershwin’s continued eclipse of him as the great American composer, long after Gershwin was dead. Ethan Iverson, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 Or maybe there's someone inside Apple who agrees with me that this year's color palette—a dissonant clashing of Shrek-green, bluish-purple, and reddish-pink—is a lot less attractive than any of the color swirls from previous years. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 26 Sep. 2023 The answer so far has been a pretty weird and dissonant one. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2024 According to Bernstein’s script, which can be viewed at the Library of Congress’s online archive, the musicians were supposed to have devolved into dissonant chaos. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2023 The hum of fluorescent lights overhead provided a dissonant soundtrack to Marty's internal struggle, punctuated by the occasional creaks of the office settling into its nightly silence. Kimberly Svoboda, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 But if your domineering cola competition is the beverage for everyone, steeped in wholesome, folksy Americana and quaint but increasingly dissonant nostalgia, why not draw a stark differentiating value proposition in the sand? Jamie Bryan, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dissonant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dissonaunte, from Latin dissonant-, dissonans, present participle of dissonare to be discordant, from dis- + sonare to sound — more at sound entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dissonant was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near dissonant

Cite this Entry

“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissonant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dissonant

adjective
dis·​so·​nant ˈdis-ə-nənt How to pronounce dissonant (audio)
: marked by dissonance
dissonantly adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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