as in discord
a lack of agreement or harmony
the dissonance between what we are told and what we see with our own eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 dissonance
The news points to a dissonance between headlines about the ostensibly relentless march of Chinese AI firms and the challenges those firms face.
—
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Anxieties repeatedly surge in volume and dissonance.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
The dissonance doesn’t phase him.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Or in the dancer Mira Nadon, whose body contains a natural shadow, revealing a tension between musical dissonance and the relentlessly demanding and athletic steps she is pushed to perform.
—Jennifer Homans, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonance
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Anxieties repeatedly surge in volume and dissonance.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
The dissonance doesn’t phase him.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Or in the dancer Mira Nadon, whose body contains a natural shadow, revealing a tension between musical dissonance and the relentlessly demanding and athletic steps she is pushed to perform.
—Jennifer Homans, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonance
Noun
-
Now, as the sequel’s stars embark a global promotional tour, Hathaway has been wearing T-shirts and sweatshirts in the exact color that caused the discord.—
Laura Scafati,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The erosion of confidence in the war has been compounded by a series of domestic moves that are fueling discord and testing the limits of wartime solidarity.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
They’re built to last and smooth to use, thanks to sharp blades that cut limbs like butter, a sap groove that prevents sticking, a low-friction design that doesn’t tire out your hands, and nonslip handles that stay comfortable for hours.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
-
For Jason, the friction of traveling to a casino and physically putting down money makes all the difference.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Part of that discordance might be the fact that as a genre, rock has historically been difficult to define.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
19 Nov. 2025
-
The sport of off-roading suffers from a fundamental discordance: The desire to get out into nature and the irreparable harm inherent in the process of off-roading.—
Tim Stevens,
ArsTechnica,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Make an effort to get along with family members to avoid domestic strife.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The best investing strategy during periods of geopolitical strife is to have no strategy at all, said Jeff Sommer in The New York Times.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The leaders of China and Spain on Tuesday pledged to strengthen their relations and work to safeguard multilateralism at a time when the world is being impacted by various conflicts, including the recent war in Iran, during a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The conflict had a 1% negative impact on organic growth in the quarter, LVMH said in a statement.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The discordancy is so intriguing — like learning that Katharine Graham went to nude encounter sessions at Esalen, or Alan Greenspan was once in a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
17 Nov. 2021
Noun
-
The war prompted Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that facilitates the transport of 20 million barrels of oil per day, or about one-fifth of the global supply.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
As fallout from the war with Iran keeps fuel prices high, few states are making moves to suspend their gas and diesel taxes.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Given the schisms, some in the GOP believe only a single party-line bill may end up passing before November.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But over the past decade or so, major schisms have emerged.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissonance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonance. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
