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 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 In this new narrative, the history of atonal music’s liberation from the constraints of conventional Western music begins not in Europe but in Mexico. — Julie Walsh, Artforum, 6 Dec. 2024 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
  • Combined with massaging seats, powerful climate control and extensive sound insulation, the technology turns an unpleasant commute into something approaching a sensory deprivation chamber.
    — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Chief on consumers' minds is cyclosporiasis, an unpleasant intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which has recently dominated headlines amid a tidal wave of cases.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 28 July 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
  • Should you ever get distracted by such off-key turns, however, the film is quick to directly remind you which other movies it’s supposed to remind you of.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 June 2026
  • Nilsson’s watercolors complemented the work of the Hairy Who while also being slightly off-key; imagine the same hectic ragtime played on a calliope instead of a piano.
    — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Definition of off-key
Adjective
  • One of the most devastating explosions ever on the planet—the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima—created a metallic material that was never seen before in a lab or nature.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 July 2026
  • Your metallic belts or rhinestone bags from the early 2000s might be worth a second chance in the sunlight.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 28 July 2026
Definition of metallic
Adjective
  • Assuming the role of a human clapper, Holzinger struck its lip again and again, sending a sonorous peal across the Biennale grounds.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026
  • In addition to his film, TV and theater work, Yun has also narrated a ton of Korean documentaries over the years thanks to his sonorous voice.
    — Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 1 June 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 6 Aug. 2026.

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