tuneless

Lacking musical pitch

Tuneless describes singing, playing, or sounds that lack melody or musical quality—off-key, unpleasant to hear: tuneless humming, a tuneless rendition of the national anthem.

The word suggests not just absence of tune but active unpleasantness, the sound of someone who can't carry a melody.

discordant

cacophony

Harsh, clashing sounds

jarringDisturbingly incongruous
gratingCrossed bars or harsh
harshUnpleasantly severe or rough

clashing · dissonant · inharmonious · strident · unmusical · off-key · screeching · sour · raucous · earsplitting

unskilled

off-key

Wrong pitch, musically

pitchyMusically off-target
warblingSinging with quavers
croakingMaking hoarse sounds

squawking · braying · howling · wailing · caterwauling · amateur · untrained · karaoke · faltering · wavering

monotonous

drone

Unmanned flying machine

droningSustained monotonous sound
flatLacking vertical variation
unvaryingRemaining the same always

dull · lifeless · expressionless · deadpan · humdrum · plodding · uninflected · colorless · bland · tedious

Opposites

melodic quality

tunelesstuneful

Pleasing in sound

melodious · melodic · musical · harmonious · lyrical

musical pleasantness

tunelessharmonious

Pleasingly in accord

sonorous · symphonic · pleasing · mellifluous · euphonious

Family

tunelessly, tunelessness

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G