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
The visual scheme is deliberately dissonant, with the bold primary colors of the costumes and the set dressing clashing against drab, gray, real-life backgrounds.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
These dissonant elements have been in the DNA of Short n’ Sweet from the start.
—Abby Aguirre, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2025
The growling in the intro, the very advanced, dissonant piano parts and the crazy vocal performance ended me.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 30 Jan. 2025
Until recently, there was nothing dissonant about the fact that the heart of Silicon Valley is represented in the House by one of the most progressive members of Congress, Ro Khanna, a close ally of Bernie Sanders.
—Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
These dissonant elements have been in the DNA of Short n’ Sweet from the start.
—Abby Aguirre, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2025
The growling in the intro, the very advanced, dissonant piano parts and the crazy vocal performance ended me.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 30 Jan. 2025
Until recently, there was nothing dissonant about the fact that the heart of Silicon Valley is represented in the House by one of the most progressive members of Congress, Ro Khanna, a close ally of Bernie Sanders.
—Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissonant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissonant
Adjective
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There are many reasons to visit New Orleans, from po' boys filled with heaps of fried shrimp spilling out of pillowy soft French bread, the shrill trills of brass trumpets, and the constant bustle of revelers across the city.—
Kristin Braswell,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Mar. 2025
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He’s gone up higher for other roles before, like his shrill turn as a rotten southern preacher in The Devil All the Time and his sassy French accent in The King.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Uniformity In Spectral Reflectance: Satellites that acquire images at the same hour and angle are inherently less noisy and therefore the computer vision models’ accuracies improve.—
Elizabeth Duffy,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Gas weed eaters have more power than electric or battery-powered weed eaters but are also much noisier.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Of the collection, Sundy Praia is the most luxurious, with 15 tented villas set where the cacophonous jungle meets the tawny coast.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
18 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
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This is notable, given that post-Covid brick and mortar shopping has generally become so unpleasant, it’s given rise to the need for a personal shopper.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Less a song than a gag, every individual element is unpleasant: single-entendre lyrics; vocals and synths that aren’t even in the same key; and the less said about Space Cowboy’s guest verse, the better.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That’s the disturbing question being debated this week in response to the discordant noises from Washington.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2025
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Rule 10b5-1 trading plans came into the fold just over two decades ago to reconcile these two discordant facts.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Every vintage bathroom can benefit from a metallic accent.—
Emily Williams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Mar. 2025
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Riddle opted for a few accessories, including statement rings, a few bracelets and metallic earrings to complete her look.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 26 Mar. 2025.
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