as in discord
a lack of agreement or harmony
the dissonance between what we are told and what we see with our own eyes
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Recent Examples of dissonance
The extraordinary dissonance between his films’ classically cartoonish aesthetic and their thematic bleakness makes Vázquez one of the most singular and consistently surprising animation auteurs working today.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 May 2026
And then shifting chords where the harmonies overlap, so there’s a moment of dissonance.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Their rekindled relationship illustrates the dissonance of familial expectations and intimacy with a parent one barely knows.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
In a moment when AI and digital technology allows for on-demand perfection, there’s a creeping thrill to the possibility of flaws and dissonance.
—Andrea Domanick, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonance
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 May 2026
And then shifting chords where the harmonies overlap, so there’s a moment of dissonance.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Their rekindled relationship illustrates the dissonance of familial expectations and intimacy with a parent one barely knows.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
In a moment when AI and digital technology allows for on-demand perfection, there’s a creeping thrill to the possibility of flaws and dissonance.
—Andrea Domanick, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonance
Noun
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Today, the entire country faces far too much discord.—
Steven D. Reske,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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After the meeting, in a sign of discord among the caucus, GOP leadership dropped plans to have a series of votes on a package that would fund immigration enforcement agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.—
Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Improving squad planning In recent years — even when the team stood at the top of European football — there was friction with coaches such as Zinedine Zidane and Ancelotti regarding squad planning, because neither held significant decision-making power and both believed more signings were needed.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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Day-to-day, sweat, humidity and friction are the routine wear-and-tear concerns.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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But partisan strife has a long reach.—
Shayla Love,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
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Rumors and speculation about internal strife within the Kremlin were widespread.—
Anna Nemtsova,
Time,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Currie noted that as the conflict drags on, global oil inventories continue to decline.—
,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
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The deeper issue is that biological threats increasingly overlap with national security, migration, urbanization, environmental degradation, and irregular conflict.—
Steve Brozak,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
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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
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Since the war began, at least two of the three LCS assigned to the gulf for minesweeping have been spotted as far away as Malaysia and Singapore.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
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Job losses and the closure of online businesses added to the war’s steep economic costs.—
Amir-Hussein Radjy,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Political analysts say the political fallout from the food co-op debate reflects a broader and widening schism over Israel among Democratic voters, especially progressive Jewish Democrats.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
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There’s a schism in America’s drug business, playing out in punchy direct messages, feisty group chats, and the occasional heated in-person exchange.—
Damian Garde,
STAT,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissonance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonance. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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