dissonance

noun

dis·so·nance | \ ˈdi-sə-nən(t)s

Definition of dissonance

1a : lack of agreement the dissonance between the truth and what people want to believe especially : inconsistency between the beliefs one holds or between one's actions and one's beliefs — compare cognitive dissonance

b : an instance of such inconsistency or disagreement the mingling of bitter comedy and stark tragedy produces sharp dissonances —F. B. Millett

2 : a mingling of sounds that strike the ear harshly : a mingling of discordant sounds especially, music : a clashing or unresolved musical interval or chord

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Examples of dissonance in a Sentence

the dissonance between what we are told and what we see with our own eyes

Recent Examples on the Web

Passages of crashing orchestral dissonance give way to sweeping lyric lines in the strings, which in turn yield to periods of busy, gnarly phrase-making across the ensemble. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Grant Park Orchestra review: A fitting 80th birthday tribute to William Bolcom," 7 July 2018 The Latin rhythmic undercurrent provided another layer of interest, as did the bursts of color and dissonance that Weiss articulated in his right hand. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Pianist Michael Weiss evokes memories of Johnny Griffin," 22 June 2018 The dissonance … cannot be easily explained or resolved. — Chris Megerian, Anchorage Daily News, "For Paul Manafort, an uncommonly comfortable life behind bars," 12 July 2018 This dissonance between fact and fancy was made clear earlier this week. — NBC News, "North Korea shatters Trump's boastful assurances of an easy path to denuclearization," 7 July 2018 The gentrification also plays up the dissonance the characters feel throughout the movie. — refinery29.com, "Sorry To Bother You," 6 July 2018 Power is transmitted to all wheels via a continuously variable transmission that has paddle shifters, which was another source of dissonance for my shrink. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Auto review: Mitsubishi shows signs of life with 2018 Eclipse Cross," 19 June 2018 As the piece’s chugging three-beat rhythm lifted off the ground, Mr. Jones smeared a sharp cry across the band’s upper limits; the trombonist Steve Swell came into his vicinity, and the pair tilted from warm harmonies into even hotter dissonances. — New York Times, "Jazz Giants Dave Burrell and Archie Shepp Retrace Their Five-Decade History," 25 May 2018 The dissonance of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy haunts Taylor’s latest release, K.T.S.E., or Keep That Same Energy. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Teyana Taylor’s Music Has Matured, but Has Her Label?," 25 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dissonance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.