dissonant

adjective dis·so·nant \ -nənt \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of dissonant

1 : marked by dissonance : discordant

2 : incongruous

3 : harmonically unresolved

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dissonantly

adverb

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Examples of dissonant in a Sentence

a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site

Recent Examples of dissonant from the Web

Whether working with groups or as a soloist, Mr. Taylor was considered a master of pianistic virtuosity and stamina, performing demanding, dissonant solos that sometimes lasted two hours or more.

— matt schudel, Washington Post, "Cecil Taylor, pianist who was ‘the eternal outer curve of the avant-garde,’ dies at 89," 6 Apr. 2018
But the overwhelming presence is Ives’ core musical language — dissonant but expressive, alternately craggy and delicate, and completely lacking in sentimentality.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Vivian Fung piece premiered by Daedalus Quartet," 26 Mar. 2018
Way ahead of his time, Biber employs eight folk songs played simultaneously for an example of 17th century dissonant chaos and a bass plunking strings against a sheet of paper to simulate drumbeats.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "Esa-Pekka Salonen's Cello Concerto soars on Cloud Nine," 9 Feb. 2018
The music undulates between major and minor keys, Eastern and Western musical traditions settling on remarkable resonance between dissonant chords.

— lauren warnecke, chicagotribune.com, "There's a fascinating story of crossing cultures at the center of 'Layla and Majnun,’ but the dance doesn’t go far enough," 17 Mar. 2018
Their crushing guitar tones, punishing drums, and animalistic vocals are frequently augmented by mechanical industrial flourishes, dissonant inhuman wails, and factory-floor rhythms.

— luca cimarusti, Chicago Reader, "With Posthuman Harm’s Way deliver one of the scariest, heaviest records you’ll hear this year," 16 Mar. 2018
However misplaced the accents, this was a beautiful Viennese tribute to America, with every detail exquisitely balanced, down to the last chord — raucously dissonant with every note of the scale but one — treated as a respectful raspberry.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "In Mexico City, a famed orchestra is no match for the spirit of 160 student musicians led by Dudamel," 8 Mar. 2018
Led by an untested millennial, the dissonant anti-establishment Five Star Movement is ahead in the polls.

— alastair jamieson, NBC News, "Italy’s Berlusconi could play kingmaker after wild election campaign," 2 Mar. 2018
Director Pirronne Yousefzadeh conducts a dissonant symphony of light and sound to ratchet up the dread.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "Ayad Akhtar's hostage drama 'The Invisible Hand' at Cleveland Play House: There will be blood, on all sides (review)," 28 Feb. 2018

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

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.

Origin and Etymology of dissonant

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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