as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
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 dissonant
The contrast of the narrative established by the plates is comparable to jazz music, with its rhythm and repetition broken up by unexpected and sometimes dissonant improvisations, the Art Institute said.
—
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
That film, which starred Stanfield alongside Tessa Thompson, established Riley as a filmmaker unafraid to blend satire with surreal, often dissonant ideas.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
But when the orchestra encounters a complex jazz composition with conflicting time signatures, dissonant harmonies or sections requiring improvisation, the musicians need greater coordination.
—Ricky J. Sethi, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Leaders who evoke dissonant states can trigger short-term compliance, fear, withdrawal and burnout.
—Johan Martinez-Khalilian, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
That film, which starred Stanfield alongside Tessa Thompson, established Riley as a filmmaker unafraid to blend satire with surreal, often dissonant ideas.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
But when the orchestra encounters a complex jazz composition with conflicting time signatures, dissonant harmonies or sections requiring improvisation, the musicians need greater coordination.
—Ricky J. Sethi, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Leaders who evoke dissonant states can trigger short-term compliance, fear, withdrawal and burnout.
—Johan Martinez-Khalilian, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonant
Adjective
-
On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Low noise levels for quiet cleaning Most people assume that pressure washers are noisy.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
-
Google’s Fitbit Air is a breath of fresh air in a suffocatingly noisy tech landscape.—
Luciana Paulise,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the black and Carrara marble lobby, the vibe is modern and futuristic, with a cacophonous waterfall tumbling down the walls in a stream of fluorescent colors and a lone scarlet grand piano bringing a pleasing pop of color.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
-
Tuesday evening’s event didn’t devolve into the chaos of a cacophonous debate last week but was far livelier than a relatively sleepy one last month.—
Ben Paviour
May 6,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
An open box will absorb unpleasant smells in your bathroom for up to four months.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Though a person infected with the virus may experience unpleasant symptoms, others may be asymptomatic.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The discordant, Bernard Herrmann-esque bursts of María Portugal’s rich score ratchet up the suspense and foreboding.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
Unproductively, in the confines of the smaller-scale Fyda-Mar stage, the discordant sensory barrage director Oanh Nguyen brings to bear landed on at least one theatergoer as an agitated, irritating distraction.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Gold and silver metallic tones can also be used to evoke the look of belt buckles, spurs, and other metallic accessories.—
Elle Turner,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
-
The ceramic version comes in Cloud (off-white), Midnight (metallic black), Petal (blush pink), or Tide (pastel blue-green).—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Those songs remind Omara of real people and real events, political interludes whose senselessness and brutality have left unmusical lacunae in her life.—
Vinson Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2023
-
His parents were unmusical Russian-Jewish immigrants who ran various businesses with mixed success.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
3 Oct. 2019
Adjective
-
Jesus proved over and over again the all-encompassing authority of God, which destroys all inharmonious conditions, including sin and disease.—
Thomas Mitchinson,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Setting Discordant Personal Goals A 2023 study published in Current Psychology finds that partners’ inharmonious goals can have detrimental effects on relationships.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
29 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonant. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
