as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
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Recent Examples of dissonant
These songs all have a beautiful sadness to them and have a pop mentality, but there is always something dissonant or tense about them at times, musically.
—
Liza Lentini, SPIN, 17 Jan. 2025
Possessed by the spirit of dance, an equally urgent soundtrack surrounds her: dissonant hoover synths, gospel-house pianos, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ guitars.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
There’s no denying the fact that Severance (nearing the end of its sophomore season on Apple TV+) has refined priceless television gold from dissonant contradiction.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Thus, the best skinny jeans will boast a lower front rise and a slightly higher back rise to accommodate the dissonant sitting and standing coverage requirements.
—Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Liza Lentini, SPIN, 17 Jan. 2025
Possessed by the spirit of dance, an equally urgent soundtrack surrounds her: dissonant hoover synths, gospel-house pianos, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ guitars.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
There’s no denying the fact that Severance (nearing the end of its sophomore season on Apple TV+) has refined priceless television gold from dissonant contradiction.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Thus, the best skinny jeans will boast a lower front rise and a slightly higher back rise to accommodate the dissonant sitting and standing coverage requirements.
—Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonant
Adjective
-
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
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The shrill, metallic banging noises of a jack hammer echoed around the White House on Monday as crews started removing the large, yellow Black Lives Matter mural down the street from the president's home.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA TODAY,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Our emissions are simply too loud, too noisy, and too difficult to remove.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2025
-
The resulting truck was so noisy it couldn’t be sold in several states, including California, Florida, and Maryland.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
With the present geopolitical situation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, landmines are making a very unpleasant comeback.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2025
-
In our testing, the formula feels like a gel-serum—and doesn't get heavy, gloopy, or otherwise unpleasant.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This constant barrage of discordant, unexpected, and often troubling news tends to distract us and erode our concentration.—
Alissa Quart,
TIME,
13 Mar. 2025
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This constant barrage of discordant, unexpected, and often troubling news tends to distract us and erode our concentration.—
Alissa Quart,
TIME,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Its tires were meant to last 40km and were made with metallic mesh, but did fail at the end of the mission.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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The Academy Award-winning actress paired the look with dangling diamond earrings, a silver Gucci clutch purse and metallic platform high-heel shoes.—
Lori A Bashian Fox News,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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His parents were unmusical Russian-Jewish immigrants who ran various businesses with mixed success.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
3 Oct. 2019
Adjective
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonant. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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