as in discord
a lack of agreement or harmony
the dissonance between what we are told and what we see with our own eyes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dissonance
That dissonance seeps into every aspect of life, even in a place considered a refuge for LGBTQ+ people.
—
Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
With this dissonance of opinion, something has to give.
—Sharon Adarlo, Futurism, 15 Apr. 2026
His simple melodies, sprinkled with dissonance, have been inducing a combination of melancholy and awe ever since.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2026
In Rose Loomis, the wife of an impotent war veteran who schemes his murder with her hunky lover, Monroe’s sweetness is weaponized to great advantage: Niagara’s power resides in the dissonance conjured from the relish Monroe displays in playing a conniving hussy.
—Joshua John Miller, Vanity Fair, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonance
Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
With this dissonance of opinion, something has to give.
—Sharon Adarlo, Futurism, 15 Apr. 2026
His simple melodies, sprinkled with dissonance, have been inducing a combination of melancholy and awe ever since.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2026
In Rose Loomis, the wife of an impotent war veteran who schemes his murder with her hunky lover, Monroe’s sweetness is weaponized to great advantage: Niagara’s power resides in the dissonance conjured from the relish Monroe displays in playing a conniving hussy.
—Joshua John Miller, Vanity Fair, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissonance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonance
Noun
-
The discord underscores a delicate balancing act, in which Abu Dhabi has doubled down on defense coordination with the US and Israel during the Iran conflict.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
-
Geopolitical turmoil, tax hikes on the wealthy and political discord have driven more wealthy to seek backup plans and residency in other countries.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Tokenized deposits require real-time know-your-customer verification at every transfer and typically cannot function natively on fully permissionless public blockchains—creating friction for seamless global commerce.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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But adding that little bit of friction for one week, by having to log in on a web browser rather than just pulling out a phone without thinking, puts us back in charge of deciding where our attention goes.—
Jonathan Haidt,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Part of that discordance might be the fact that as a genre, rock has historically been difficult to define.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
19 Nov. 2025
-
The sport of off-roading suffers from a fundamental discordance: The desire to get out into nature and the irreparable harm inherent in the process of off-roading.—
Tim Stevens,
ArsTechnica,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
After a season of strife, Owen and Teddy’s last moments on screen (for now, at least) mark a happy ending for the long-lasting couple.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
-
Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said his unsuccessful bid to buy the San Diego Padres assumed that the entire 2027 MLB season would likely be lost due to labor strife.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Altman was briefly forced to step down from leadership of OpenAI in 2023 in part due to concerns about potential conflicts between his personal investments and his operation of the company, but was soon reinstated.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Instead, the data revealed a planet in flux where areas brightened explosively in one year and dimmed sharply the next; regions flickered in rhythms tied to oil booms, armed conflicts, and pandemic lockdowns.—
Bree Shirvell,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The discordancy is so intriguing — like learning that Katharine Graham went to nude encounter sessions at Esalen, or Alan Greenspan was once in a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
17 Nov. 2021
Noun
-
During my lifetime there have been 55 years in which my country has engaged in prolonged and endless conflicts or wars, few of which have brought a decisive victory.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
Despite efforts from governments worldwide to boost supply during the war, including tapping into emergency oil stockpiles, steep oil prices remain.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
At a time when the regime is desperate to project a united front against the US and Israel, discontent over who can do what online is creating a very public schism across a swathe of Iranian society.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
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The schism was partially resolved through high-level meetings between the agencies and a memorandum of understanding forged last August.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissonance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonance. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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