tuneless

adjective

Definition of tunelessnext
as in atonal

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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
  • 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
  • There are atonal jabs, and there are jazz flourishes, and there’s kind of a deeply romantic strain running through it as well.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of atonal
Adjective
  • By 1988, when Phantom debuted on Broadway, the Reagan-era consumer culture and flashy opulence were on their way out, so the ornate, maximalist sets and the lush orchestrations felt off-key to reviewers.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Nobody wants to be subjected to one more triggering, off-key note of an Edwin Díaz dirge.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of off-key
Adjective
  • Activewear After sweating it out in your beloved activewear, avoid using the hotter temperatures in the washing machine to sanitize and remove unpleasant odors.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The mediocre screen was an unpleasant surprise given that this thing advertised 100 percent sRGB gamut coverage when it was announced and on its product page for many weeks (the Internet Archive captures it here).
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 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
  • Amid the rumblings of construction at nearby David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the sound of a shrill whistle and chopping feet at the nearby Murfin Family Practice Fields signaled one thing.
    — Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That trademark indecision of summer takes root in her words and spreads through the music until her vocals diverge in the chorus, peeling like a clementine’s skin as one shrill line scales upward and the other remains monotone.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 July 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 31 Aug. 2026.

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