as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
a very unmusical chorus of squawks from the angry ravens
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Example Sentences
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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
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
Adjective
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Their bathroom floor also pooled with water after showering, and noise from other apartments, like the shrill beeps of a low-battery smoke detector next door, carried through the paper-thin walls.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
22 Apr. 2025
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As such, The Studio is shrill and talky, its chaotic scenes sparked by random performers like Charlize Theron, Zac Efron, Olivia Wilde and Sarah Polley, all of whom want something from Remick.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For example, secondary insomnia can develop due to issues such as chronic pain, a noisy environment, or stress about finances.—
Smita Patel,
Verywell Health,
28 Apr. 2025
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In a noisy job market, your personal brand, digital presence, and network are critical assets.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The major-sevenths, by stuffing four notes into the chords, offered greater harmonic options, and Sikes was determined to take advantage of them, encouraging Wayne to incorporate the dissonant notes into her high harmonies.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
22 Apr. 2025
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And there’s a blunt, pulp poetry to Manny’s conclusion (if not a particularly sensitive one), driven to despair by an inability to live in the dissonant but very real space between one’s religious moral compass and the realities of one’s life.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Doing so consumes water, requires the use of often eco-unfriendly cleansers, and adds an unpleasant task to janitors' daily duties.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
25 Apr. 2025
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But that’s another unpleasant truth that is best left unspoken.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If a gold or platinum rim is desired, it’s now painted on in a thin black line that a second firing renders metallic.—
Naomi Rougeau,
Robb Report,
27 Apr. 2025
-
The side slit of Rodrigo’s dress revealed the singer’s metallic silver heels.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
25 Apr. 2025
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
Adjective
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Episode 2, set at Jamie’s school just a few days after the incident, thrives in the chaos of innumerable moving pieces as kids push through crowded passageways, cram inside cacophonous classrooms, and even parade out to the playground during an unexpected fire drill.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2025
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The market’s message and intentions are always worth debating — especially so during an intense pullback, with cacophonous policy headlines and piqued investor emotions animating the action day to day.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unmusical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmusical. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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