unmusical

adjective

ˌən-ˈmyü-zi-kəl How to pronounce unmusical (audio)
Definition of unmusicalnext
as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds a very unmusical chorus of squawks from the angry ravens

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 unmusical 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, 3 Oct. 2019 Paradoxically, then, the man most involved in the development of the electric guitar was the unmusical Leo Fender. — David Kirby, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2019 The controversy of Schoenberg’s serialist works—the overwhelming reaction to them as ugly, nightmarish, simply unmusical—shows how firmly tonality had come to condition habits of listening. — Paul Grimstad, The New Republic, 21 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmusical
  1. shrill
  2. noisy
  3. dissonant
  4. unpleasant
  5. metallic
  6. inharmonious
  7. cacophonous
Adjective
  • 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
  • When Caleb Hammer, a thirty-one-year-old personal-finance YouTuber, gets particularly exasperated, his voice enters a shrill upper register.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of shrill
Adjective
  • The focus was how AI can be integrated and optimize the existing business – rather than presentation of noisy (and controversial) slates of AI TV shows and movies.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Kerry McCoy’s guitar juices up a mid-song gallop by abruptly pivoting from big and noisy to compressed and snarling; at the climax, everything cuts out for a second to spotlight a Daniel Tracy drum fill.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of noisy
Adjective
  • In a film, that’s where the music would come up, dissonant strings, ringing ears, the drums increasing tempo.
    — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The score was such a beautiful, odd, dissonant piece of work.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of dissonant
Adjective
  • As unpleasant as his job might be at the moment, Harbaugh is ostensibly safe.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Kings and Avalanche aren’t really rivals in the way Dallas and Colorado are, but there’s definitely some unpleasant familiarity after a playoff series last year.
    — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Saint Laurent sales sank 9 percent in 2024, then another 6 percent last year, amid softening demand in Asia and a cooling attitude toward Vaccarello’s rock ’n’ roll aesthetic and metallic fabrics.
    — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The shimmering metallic motif of Barbaro’s dress carried through to her shoes, sporting a pair of silver mules courtesy of Paris Texas.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of metallic
Adjective
  • We are made loving, good, and pure – entirely free from any inharmonious tendency.
    — Margaret Rogers, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of inharmonious
Adjective
  • The lower-register instruments in this track are also fairly mellow in the recording, and the subtle bass in the headphones almost pushes them into obscurity, further piling everything into the cacophonous middle.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In one, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new White House helipad, a project the president has shown tremendous pride in, he couldn’t be heard over the cacophonous din of Marine One.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of cacophonous

Browse Nearby Words

unmuffling
unmusical
unnamed
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Cite this Entry

“Unmusical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmusical. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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