atonal

adjective

Definition of atonalnext
as in tuneless

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of atonal Via new music, staging and projections, the concerts include One Morning Turns Into An Eternity, which examines deep grief and trauma as well as transcendence through atonal and meditative works. — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 17 Mar. 2026 Then, in 2015, the artist Robin Rhode chose Times Square on a Saturday night as the site for his interpretation of a slow-motion, atonal Arnold Schönberg opera. — Rachel Corbett, Curbed, 22 Dec. 2025 Other cuts start as pop songs before crashing into atonal messes and freak rock chaos. — Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025 Riley, a Northern California native, who has always exuded a Zen-like geniality, was part of a generation of young American composers who had turned away from audience-alienating atonal music, which had been proselytized by their teachers in the science-minded postwar academy. — William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for atonal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atonal
  1. tuneless
  2. unpleasant
  3. disagreeable
  4. off-key
  5. metallic
  6. sonorous
Adjective
  • Her aesthetics and tuneless vocals left audiences in awe and laughter.
    — Raquel Willis, Time, 19 June 2025
  • For the rest of us, a real musical comedy is a cause for celebration; most are either too tuneless to be musicals or too dull to be comedies.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Definition of tuneless
Adjective
  • From a computational perspective, Friston argues, attempting to reduce uncertainty—basically, working to avoid unpleasant surprises—is the brain’s primary goal.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Adapted by Duffield and Daniel Kraus from Kraus’ 2023 novel, this spectacularly unpleasant underwater adventure delivers on its premise with effects that are graphic, fascinating, and occasionally beautiful.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Mistaking being disagreeable with the act of disagreeing is common - especially in unsafe psychological workplaces.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
Definition of disagreeable
Adjective
  • Forbidden Compass feels bafflingly out of touch and off-key, with the flavor of supermarket own-brand cornflakes.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • By 1988, when Phantom debuted on Broadway, the Reagan-era consumer culture and flashy opulence were on their way out, so the ornate, maximalist sets and the lush orchestrations felt off-key to reviewers.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of off-key
Adjective
  • At the booth for another derm-beloved brand, La Roche-Posay, guests learned about the dark-spot targeting Mela B3 line, including the Double Dose Discoloration Treatment, before leaving with shiny purple metallic totes.
    — Eden Stuart, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026
  • This process, which generates perfectly crystalline silicon ingots to be sliced like fragile metallic salamis into thin wafers, is entrusted largely to one firm in Taiwan and two in Japan.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of metallic
Adjective
  • Beat writing—its jumpy jazz rhythms light and alliterative, so unlike Faulkner’s sonorous throat clearings—did not jive with McCarthy’s other influences.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • This shimmering, sonorous work, from one of our greatest living directors, moves through the peculiar landscapes of human interaction with certainty, eccentricity and grace, alighting on a generous if rueful conclusion.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of sonorous

Browse Nearby Words

atoms
atonal
at once
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Cite this Entry

“Atonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atonal. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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