as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
a very unmusical chorus of squawks from the angry ravens
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Alecia lets out a shrill whistle and the shadowy figures of our campmates stand up around the fire, applauding.Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 13 Nov. 2024
-
Like, watched it all the way through from the shrill opening filled with obnoxious kids to the leadenly staged slapstick climax?Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
His personal airplane, a noisy 727, is banned from takeoff and landing between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
-
The screen rolls out from underneath the keyboard, with a noisy motor taking a few seconds to turn the device into a laptop with a very tall display.Barry Collins, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Some of the show's jazziest songs brought the listeners to unexpected places with funky dissonant sounds, instrumental solos and key changes.Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 5 Nov. 2024
-
Centuries of grime has been wiped away to reveal an immaculate but aesthetically dissonant house of worship: a Gothic church that glistens.Joshua Berlinger, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
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
-
Another surprise was how unpleasant emotions were often motivating for leaders.Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Rhinestone and crystal embellishments and metallic foils help deliver the futuristic vibe.Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 9 Jan. 2025
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
There is a primordial quality to the woods that oscillates between cacophonous forest chatter and eerie silence in the space of a ridge or two.Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 2 Jan. 2025
-
Hundreds of revelers roar at once, thrusting homemade torches into the freezing air and banging pans together with cacophonous glee.Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 26 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unmusical
Cite this Entry
“Unmusical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmusical. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share