tuneless

adjective

Definition of tunelessnext
as in atonal

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 tuneless Her aesthetics and tuneless vocals left audiences in awe and laughter. — Raquel Willis, Time, 19 June 2025 For the rest of us, a real musical comedy is a cause for celebration; most are either too tuneless to be musicals or too dull to be comedies. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025 Winfrey’s musical reworking of The Color Purple is essentially tuneless and unpleasant. — Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2024 That baggy, shambling gang of tuneless no-hopers swept along on the glassy-eyed tide of post-acid house euphoria? — Jonathan Bernstein, SPIN, 7 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tuneless
  1. atonal
  2. off-key
  3. unpleasant
  4. disagreeable
  5. shrill
Adjective
  • Animal bleating, foley work, and atonal orchestra sections grind against Walker’s warble.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Today composers often combine tonal and atonal elements, using atonality to create feelings of uncertainty, psychological tension, or dramatic intensity.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of atonal
Adjective
  • The privacy of these music studios offer a different experience than the traditional karaoke bar serving up pricey cocktails and a roomful of strangers listening to others belting out familiar songs off-key — which Koreatown also has.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But that doesn’t keep the moments in the film’s last passage from feeling off-key.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of off-key
Adjective
  • George is being extremely unpleasant toward everyone and seems to be moving toward a breakdown.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Consumers across the country have described to CBS California Investigates, and in hundreds of online reviews, their unpleasant experiences at the stores, alleging they were pressured to make purchases worth thousands of dollars.
    — Amy Corral, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Mistaking being disagreeable with the act of disagreeing is common - especially in unsafe psychological workplaces.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
Definition of disagreeable
Adjective
  • That loon’s shrill call, this rock’s marbled face, and the walleye wriggling several feet below are what’s at home here; the paddler, just a visitor.
    — Story Hinckley, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2026
  • With a soprano voice that’s sharp but never shrill, O’Donovan can levitate a heartfelt melody over just about any kind of accompaniment.
    — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of shrill

Browse Nearby Words

tuneful
tuneless
tune out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tuneless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tuneless. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All