as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 dissonant
But when the orchestra encounters a complex jazz composition with conflicting time signatures, dissonant harmonies or sections requiring improvisation, the musicians need greater coordination.
—
Ricky J. Sethi, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Leaders who evoke dissonant states can trigger short-term compliance, fear, withdrawal and burnout.
—Johan Martinez-Khalilian, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The cast fragmented, with the Byers family and El trying to start over in California while Hopper languished in a tonally dissonant Soviet gulag, as though the Duffers didn’t realize that what people loved most about Stranger Things was its grounding in Hawkins.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
But Roofman, which Cianfrance also co-wrote, was clearly intended to be lighter fare and instead ends up in this dissonant in-between space tonally.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Ricky J. Sethi, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
Leaders who evoke dissonant states can trigger short-term compliance, fear, withdrawal and burnout.
—Johan Martinez-Khalilian, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The cast fragmented, with the Byers family and El trying to start over in California while Hopper languished in a tonally dissonant Soviet gulag, as though the Duffers didn’t realize that what people loved most about Stranger Things was its grounding in Hawkins.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
But Roofman, which Cianfrance also co-wrote, was clearly intended to be lighter fare and instead ends up in this dissonant in-between space tonally.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonant
Adjective
-
On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Around 5,000 people reside in the town, give or take the shifting sub-population of soldiers from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces who ship in and out for noisy munitions drills in the mountains nearby.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
Poor-quality headphones that skimp on noise cancellation, battery life, or comfortability can quickly turn a noisy flight into an absolute nightmare.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Tuesday evening’s event didn’t devolve into the chaos of a cacophonous debate last week but was far livelier than a relatively sleepy one last month.—
Ben Paviour
May 6,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
-
Yet a cacophonous encore is now playing across the South after a Supreme Court ruling last week.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
And since each state tax operates under its own often arcane rules, those costs can come as an unpleasant surprise.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
His rhetoric is unpleasant and extreme enough that he could not get confirmed to a university board in Florida.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The discordant, Bernard Herrmann-esque bursts of María Portugal’s rich score ratchet up the suspense and foreboding.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
Unproductively, in the confines of the smaller-scale Fyda-Mar stage, the discordant sensory barrage director Oanh Nguyen brings to bear landed on at least one theatergoer as an agitated, irritating distraction.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
To accentuate her silver metallic gown, Twain rocked rocked full bangs teamed with long auburn tresses.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
While Styles’ electro-pop almost always satisfies, the most awe-inspiring aspect of this production is the massive stage, flanked by two oversized video screens and centered by a metallic structure that looks like an inverted ski jump.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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
-
His parents were unmusical Russian-Jewish immigrants who ran various businesses with mixed success.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
3 Oct. 2019
Adjective
-
Jesus proved over and over again the all-encompassing authority of God, which destroys all inharmonious conditions, including sin and disease.—
Thomas Mitchinson,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Sep. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissonant. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
