as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dissonant
Uneasy strings soundtrack a creature’s tentative first steps out of the primordial sea, and intense, dissonant horns blare as a T. rex engages in an epic battle with a powerful planet eater.
—
James Grebey, Vulture, 23 July 2025
His disjointed, dissonant rhythms were his attempt to accompany the chaos — like providing a real-time soundtrack to a strange silent movie.
—David Kushner, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2025
The outside world seems to be growing only more dissonant and chaotic.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 2 June 2025
If not, a show that has now been in decline for half its run risks devolving into a mess as self-indulgent, morose, and, well, dissonant as its title character.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
James Grebey, Vulture, 23 July 2025
His disjointed, dissonant rhythms were his attempt to accompany the chaos — like providing a real-time soundtrack to a strange silent movie.
—David Kushner, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2025
The outside world seems to be growing only more dissonant and chaotic.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 2 June 2025
If not, a show that has now been in decline for half its run risks devolving into a mess as self-indulgent, morose, and, well, dissonant as its title character.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonant
Adjective
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There’s also a large cast of supporting characters, many called upon to strike shrill notes of hostility.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 June 2025
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The warnings start coming in, first shrill alarms from our cellphones alerting us of a tornado warning, and then the stirring call of tornado-warning sirens outside of the windows.—
Colleen Hagerty,
Rolling Stone,
27 July 2025
Adjective
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The noisy ones have either hope or larceny in their souls.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Rez said platforms should build internal mechanisms that elevated antisemitism protections above noisy or majority-sourced signals in training.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Cramming his wide screen with the comings and goings of a 24-character ensemble, Altman creates an incredible, cacophonous entertainment, equal parts comedy and tragedy, featuring terrific original songs and an unforgettable ending.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
18 July 2025
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This year's trip to Thailand was an exercise in incivility and taboo-breaking, a cacophonous symphony of troubled souls colliding amid Mai Tais and monkeys.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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A couple who had moved into a new apartment a couple of hours earlier got an unpleasant surprise after returning from a celebratory dinner.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
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There are many financial benefits to property ownership, but that also means bills, repairs, maintenance and a number of other unpleasant surprises.—
Steve Jahnke,
Kansas City Star,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Awkward line deliveries pair with incisive editing and intuitive direction to create a discordant sensation that put me on edge most of the time.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
25 July 2025
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The findings offer a compelling response to Crick’s dilemma, reconciling the discordant timescales to explain how ephemeral molecules maintain memories that last a lifetime.—
Ajdina Halilovic,
Wired News,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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New World screwworms are the parasitic larva of a metallic blue blow fly species called Cochliomyia hominivorax.—
Jamie Gumbrecht,
CNN Money,
25 Aug. 2025
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The stadium’s metallic roof is meant to reverberate sound.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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His parents were unmusical Russian-Jewish immigrants who ran various businesses with mixed success.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
3 Oct. 2019
Adjective
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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
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For sixteen hours a week, Valentine hopes to share some melody in a place that, for some, can feel inharmonious.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
24 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonant. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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