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dissonances

noun

plural of dissonance
as in discords
a lack of agreement or harmony the dissonance between what we are told and what we see with our own eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 dissonances Diné weaver Marilou Schultz has been probing the harmonies and dissonances between these technologies since the 1960s. — Lua Vollaard, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026 With a laugh, the British native charmingly embraces any international dissonances in play. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 27 May 2026 Instruments and voices accumulate into immense, sustained, saturating dissonances, with a snare drum cutting through the tear-gas haze. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 From Zehetmair’s searching dissonances, the SPCO moved into Brahms’ Double Concerto, performed by concertmaster Steven Copes and principal cello Julie Albers. — Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025 Although the relocation of a very Nordic communitarian milieu to a British setting creates its own cultural dissonances, the end result is a nifty ethical puzzle about balancing the needs of individuals versus those of the community. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonances
  1. discords
  2. frictions
  3. conflicts
  4. schisms
  5. wars
Noun
  • Your dedicated Slack channels, private discords and endless Reddit threads.
    — April Uchitel, Flow Space, 6 Aug. 2025
  • In every case, physical science, which is based on the evidence reported by these limited and limiting senses, eventually leaves us stranded with the conviction that sickness, accidents, and disasters – discords of every description, regardless of the apparent cause – are real and inevitable.
    — Lisa Rennie Sytsma, Christian Science Monitor, 20 June 2025
Definition of discords
Noun
  • Wafula said the role of pastoral ministers is especially important in the modern world, where political frictions often threaten peace in the community.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • As global financial markets become ever more interconnected, overseas investors have also grown highly active in US and European markets, making time zone frictions all the more apparent, especially for Asian investors.
    — , CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of frictions
Noun
  • One consideration is opening additional stores, Cenci said, citing Miami, residential areas beyond downtown Rome, Spain, and the Middle East, if conflicts there end, as possibilities.
    — David Moin, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The base 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including this year’s war with Iran.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of conflicts
Noun
  • But schisms and heel digging are probably inevitable in such uncertain fields, Catling says.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This turns into a big argument about Issa being a weird little guy, and suddenly there are multiple potential roommate schisms in the house.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of schisms
Noun
  • The wars caused massive destruction of religious and civic buildings, mills and mines, housing, crops, herds and transport infrastructure, damaging prosperity and forcing some people to move or starve.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Clashes since Wednesday in Tigray and the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar have shattered a 4-year-old peace deal that ended one of the century's deadliest wars.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of wars

Browse Nearby Words

dissonance
dissonances
dissonant
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Cite this Entry

“Dissonances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonances. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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