as in tuneless
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Recent Examples of atonal
Gradually, the music mutates into something more alien: off-key chiming of a clock, percussive piano clanking and plucking, atonal saxophone solos that sound as if an instrument is being dropped.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Right from the start, there’s a neo-noir like feel to Gerster’s suspenseful portrait, accentuated by its atonal and slightly disconcerting score.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025
The atmosphere is enhanced by the hand-in-hand elements of Damian Volpe’s heavy soundscape and Robin Carolan’s moody score, which ranges from symphonic grandeur to agitato strings, pipes and horns specific to the region at that time to queasy atonal groans.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
Ives’s legendary status initially rested on his reputation as a maverick pioneer who supposedly had beaten Schoenberg in the race to the atonal pole.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for atonal
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Right from the start, there’s a neo-noir like feel to Gerster’s suspenseful portrait, accentuated by its atonal and slightly disconcerting score.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025
The atmosphere is enhanced by the hand-in-hand elements of Damian Volpe’s heavy soundscape and Robin Carolan’s moody score, which ranges from symphonic grandeur to agitato strings, pipes and horns specific to the region at that time to queasy atonal groans.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
Ives’s legendary status initially rested on his reputation as a maverick pioneer who supposedly had beaten Schoenberg in the race to the atonal pole.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for atonal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atonal
Adjective
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Her aesthetics and tuneless vocals left audiences in awe and laughter.—
Raquel Willis,
Time,
19 June 2025
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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
Adjective
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Increase your fiber intake slowly and drink plenty of water to reduce unpleasant side effects like cramping and bloating.—
Courtney Southwick,
Health,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Any unpleasant government decision—such as the August order blocking voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, on the pretext of preventing scams and terrorist activity—tends to be perceived mostly with passive discontent and immediate adaptation with the search for alternative practical solutions.—
ANDREI KOLESNIKOV,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Over the weekend, reports emerged that the higher tariffs followed a disagreeable Thursday phone call between Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Trump — which Swiss officials rejected, according to Reuters.—
Sophie Kiderlin,Jenni Reid,
CNBC,
4 Aug. 2025
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Trump and his supporters prefer a happy history, a pleasant history that arouses patriotism by overlooking disagreeable people and despicable events that sully the nation’s reputation and mar the magnificence of the American story.—
William C. Hine,
Twin Cities,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
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Yet in subsequent editions, the Muirs, or perhaps their publishers, rejected that suitably plain title and replaced it with the storied but off-key Metamorphosis.—
Mark Harman
August 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Their propellants are a mixture of fuel and oxidizer, with metallic powders such as aluminum often serving as the fuel.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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This look, inspired by late nights at NYC's legendary CBGB, is designed to be paired with the J703 Super Slim Jean in a metallic version of JV’s iconic Matchstick skinny jean.—
Cassell Ferere,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Ditto the auxiliary singers, particularly Greene, who paired a deep, sonorous bass range with enthusiastic dance moves that underlined the across-the-board camaraderie.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
20 July 2025
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On Pressing Onward, Freedia is creating her own religious experience of sorts — one that marries the powerful peaks and sonorous valleys of gospel with the irrepressible, relentless energy of bounce.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atonal. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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