dissonant
Not in harmony
Dissonant describes sounds that clash rather than blend harmoniously—notes that create tension when played together.
Music uses dissonance deliberately, resolving it into consonance for emotional effect.
The meaning extends to any jarring combination or disagreement: dissonant voices in the debate, His cheerful tone was dissonant with the grim news.
A dissonant note is one that doesn't fit.
Lacking musical agreement
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
- clashingStriking with discord
- atonalWithout musical key
- off-keyWrong pitch, musically
grating · strident · harsh · unharmonious · cacophonous · disharmonic · out-of-tune · unmelodic
Disturbingly incongruous
- disturbingCausing mental unease
- unnervingCausing loss of composure
- disconcertingCausing unease or confusion
- disquietingCausing unease or worry
eerie · ominous · discomfiting · off-putting · wrong · incongruous · uncanny · disorienting
Violent disagreement or collision
- discordLack of agreement
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- strifeAngry, prolonged conflict
- tensionStretched or strained state
schism · rift · opposition · incompatibility · contention · antagonism · disagreement · contradiction
Loud persistent noise
- dinSustained unpleasant noise
- racketUproar, scam, or paddle
- noiseUnwanted auditory disturbance
- discordLack of agreement
clatter · jangle · blare · clangor · stridency · harshness · raucousness · clash
Testing new methods
- atonalWithout musical key
- twelve-toneSerialism using all pitches
- serialismFixed-sequence composition technique
- SchoenbergAtonal method inventor
discordant
Lacking musical agreement
off-key · grating · strident · harsh · unharmonious · cacophonous · disharmonic · out-of-tune · unmelodic · shrill
jarring
Disturbingly incongruous
- disturbingCausing mental unease
- unnervingCausing loss of composure
- disconcertingCausing unease or confusion
disquieting · eerie · ominous · discomfiting · off-putting · wrong · incongruous · uncanny · disorienting · troubling
clash
Violent disagreement or collision
tension · schism · rift · opposition · incompatibility · contention · antagonism · disagreement · contradiction · incongruity
clamor
Loud persistent noise
discord · clatter · jangle · blare · clangor · stridency · harshness · raucousness · clash · screech
experimental
Testing new methods
- atonalWithout musical key
- twelve-toneSerialism using all pitches
- serialismFixed-sequence composition technique
- sound qualitiesloudness, pitch, tone, faintness, clarity
- bad soundsoff-key, off-pitch, pitchy, sour note, discordant
- music adjectivesmelodic, harmonic, rhythmic, tonal, tuneful
- discorddiscord, Discord, discordance, disharmony, cacophony
- music termsmelody, tempo, rhythm, harmony, beat
- out of placemisfit, odd, misplaced, unsuitable, unfitting
dissonantconsonant
In agreement with
harmonious · harmonic · euphonious · melodious · melodic
dissonantconsonant
In agreement with
harmonious · concordant · compatible · congruous · agreeable
- cognitive dissonanceDiscomfort from contradictory beliefs
- moral dissonanceTension between competing values