as in tuneless
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Recent Examples of atonal
The Queen of Power Ballads is now the subject of her illness—stricken and isolated, with her famously mellifluous voice emitting involuntary, atonal moans.
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Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 26 July 2024
There is no real tune and, as a result, the first minute is dangerously reminiscent of Bernard Hermann’s atonal Psycho score.
—Meg Walters, Vulture, 17 May 2024
Many would call him the master of modern [atonal] music — music that for most people does not sound melodic.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
Ludwig Göransson’s score, so brash, percussive, and downright atonal in the first fight scene, now seems more muted and melodic — as though the soundtracks of these two scenes are meant to fit together.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atonal 
Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 26 July 2024
There is no real tune and, as a result, the first minute is dangerously reminiscent of Bernard Hermann’s atonal Psycho score.
—Meg Walters, Vulture, 17 May 2024
Many would call him the master of modern [atonal] music — music that for most people does not sound melodic.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
Ludwig Göransson’s score, so brash, percussive, and downright atonal in the first fight scene, now seems more muted and melodic — as though the soundtracks of these two scenes are meant to fit together.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atonal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atonal
Adjective
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Fletcher’s thrumming, didgeridoo voice—violently tuneless when singing and melodic in speech—is a counterpoint to Fliakos’s light, almost nasal timbre; Niall Cunningham and Andrew Maillet, as the President’s assistants, are their balancing male pair.Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
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Winfrey’s musical reworking of The Color Purple is essentially tuneless and unpleasant.Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2024
Adjective
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Still, with a budget deficit looming next year and a mayor whose preferred mode of dealing with unpleasant fiscal realities is to hike taxes, revenue grabs like congestion pricing are always on the table.The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
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Another surprise was how unpleasant emotions were often motivating for leaders.Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Sometimes that means confronting disagreeable people.David Plazas, The Tennessean, 24 Apr. 2024
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The most important reason to avoid obsessing over China’s disagreeable regime, however, is that this fixation threatens a core U.S. advantage: Washington’s wide network of partners and allies.Evan S. Medeiros, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2021
Adjective
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Rhinestone and crystal embellishments and metallic foils help deliver the futuristic vibe.Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 9 Jan. 2025
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The ragged metallic roaring scream of a Boeing 727 ascending eastward, a high-pitched whine building to a thundering roar, fading to a drone.Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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An early title card commemorating James Earl Jones, who died in September at age 93 and whose sonorous voice dignified and shaped the character of Mufasa for generations of Lion King fans, strikes a tender chord.Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
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For plumbing more sonorous depths, there is the optional Roku Wireless Subwoofer (another $180).Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 3 May 2020
Thesaurus Entries Near atonal
Cite this Entry
“Atonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atonal. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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