atonal
adjective
aton·al
(ˌ)ā-ˈtō-nᵊl 
(ˌ)a-
: marked by avoidance of traditional musical tonality
especially
: organized without reference to key or tonal center and using the tones of the chromatic scale impartially
Examples of atonal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Among the booming, atonal sound design, Garland editorializes with a few cheeky needle-drops.
—
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
However, Yorke’s abrasive and atonal soundscapes best channel Donne’s rage against the machine.
—Jon O'Brien, SPIN, 26 Jan. 2024
In their hands that meant addictively atonal patchworks of stretch lace and glimmering knits, slouchy wide-wale cords and big faux-fur coats.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
Only Schoenberg, whose atonal music was forever at odds with convention, remained an outlier.
—John Adams, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
Tying everything together is a gripping score by Philip Glass, with Paul Leonard-Morgan, a breathlessly atonal composition that simultaneously is unsettling and puts fans instantly at home in an Errol Morris film.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023
Murky, atonal music swells into collections of chords that resembles human moans.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2023
The band’s twangy guitar sounds, droning vocals and loping rhythms mesh perfectly with the often atonal score composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and sound designer Ren Klyce’s unsettling soundscape, which features subsonic, insectoid rumbles that may induce Havana Syndrome in some viewers.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2023
When quirkily melodious new wave tried to make punk cute, the Bowery gobbled it all up and puked up atonal filth-art no wave.
—Jonathan Rowe, Spin, 11 Aug. 2023
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
However, Yorke’s abrasive and atonal soundscapes best channel Donne’s rage against the machine.
—Jon O'Brien, SPIN, 26 Jan. 2024
In their hands that meant addictively atonal patchworks of stretch lace and glimmering knits, slouchy wide-wale cords and big faux-fur coats.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
Only Schoenberg, whose atonal music was forever at odds with convention, remained an outlier.
—John Adams, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
Tying everything together is a gripping score by Philip Glass, with Paul Leonard-Morgan, a breathlessly atonal composition that simultaneously is unsettling and puts fans instantly at home in an Errol Morris film.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023
Murky, atonal music swells into collections of chords that resembles human moans.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2023
The band’s twangy guitar sounds, droning vocals and loping rhythms mesh perfectly with the often atonal score composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and sound designer Ren Klyce’s unsettling soundscape, which features subsonic, insectoid rumbles that may induce Havana Syndrome in some viewers.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2023
When quirkily melodious new wave tried to make punk cute, the Bowery gobbled it all up and puked up atonal filth-art no wave.
—Jonathan Rowe, Spin, 11 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'atonal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near atonal
Cite this Entry
“Atonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atonal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
atonal
adjective
aton·al
(ˈ)ā-ˈtōn-əl
(ˈ)a-
: being music written without traditional organization based on a scale
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