dissonant

dis·so·nant

(dĭs′ə-nənt)

adj.

1. Harsh and inharmonious in sound; discordant.

2. Being at variance; disagreeing.

3. Music Constituting or producing a dissonance.

[Middle English dissonaunt, from Old French dissonant, from Latin dissonāns, dissonant-, present participle of dissonāre, to be dissonant : dis-, apart; see dis- + sonāre, to sound; see swen- in Indo-European roots.]

dis′so·nant·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dissonant

(ˈdɪsənənt)

adj

1. discordant; cacophonous

2. incongruous or discrepant

3. (Music, other) music characterized by dissonance

[C15: from Latin dissonāre to be discordant, from dis-¹ + sonāre to sound]

ˈdissonantly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dis•so•nant

(ˈdɪs ə nənt)

adj.

1. disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant.

2. disagreeing or incongruous; at variance.

3. harmonically unresolved.

[1400–50; late Middle English dissonaunte (< Anglo-French) < Latin dissonant-, s. of dissonāns, present participle of dissonāre to sound harsh]

dis′so•nant•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	dissonant - characterized by musical dissonance; harmonically unresolved unresolved music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner inharmonious, unharmonious - not in harmony
	2.	dissonant - lacking in harmony disharmonious, inharmonic, discordant inharmonious, unharmonious - not in harmony
	3.	dissonant - not in accord; "desires at variance with his duty"; "widely discrepant statements" at variance, discrepant discordant - not in agreement or harmony; "views discordant with present-day ideas"

dissonant

adjective

1. disagreeing, differing, at variance, dissentient All but a few dissonant voices agree.

2. discordant, harsh, jarring, grating, raucous, strident, jangling, out of tune, tuneless, cacophonous, inharmonious, unmelodious Guitarists kept strumming wildly dissonant chords.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

dissonant

adjective

1. Characterized by unpleasant discordance of sound:

cacophonous, discordant, disharmonious, inharmonic, inharmonious, rude, unharmonious, unmusical.

2. Made up of parts or qualities that are disparate or otherwise markedly lacking in consistency:

discordant, discrepant, incompatible, incongruent, incongruous, inconsistent.

Translations

dissonante

dissonant

[ˈdɪsənənt] ADJ → disonante

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

dissonant

[ˈdɪsənənt] adj

(MUSIC) [chord, harmony] → dissonant(e)

(= clashing) [voices, images] → discordant(e)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

dissonant

adj (Mus) → dissonant; (fig) opinions, temperaments → unvereinbar; colours → disharmonisch

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

A baker's cart had already rattled through the street, chasing away the latest vestige of night's sanctity with the jingle-jangle of its dissonant bells.

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The air becomes dissonant with wind instruments, and horrible with clamor of a million throats.

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"Send the boys off to the right," exclaimed the resolute wife and mother, in a sharp, dissonant voice; "I warrant me, Asa, or Abner will give some account of the creature!"

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Alexandra's parents had not even begun to talk to their daughters freely upon the subject, when suddenly, as it were, a dissonant chord was struck amid the harmony of the proceedings.

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He was startled by the loud and dissonant voice of a man who was apparently dismounting at the door.

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The Rhetoric of Affirmative Resistance: Dissonant Identities from

The Rhetoric of Affirmative Resistance: Dissonant Identities from Carroll to Derrida

It is the dissonant mood music of this book, and the author plays it conspicuously, if artlessly.

Fault Lines: Incest, Sexuality, and Catholic Family Culture

as something of a wonder, a woman who was a "completely natural dissonant

Ruth Crawford Seeger: A Composer's Search for American Music

The eight polyphonic items include particularly fine settings of the psalm Nisi Dominus (H150) and Magnificat (H72), and the wonderful Salve regina a trois chaeurs (H24) with its extraordinarily dissonant, chromatic response to the text's `vale of tears'.

Charpentier: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin

Plaintive vocals, dissonant wind instruments, and cacophonous percussion resonate with humble conviction throughout the sixty-nine tracks on these companion albums, revealing the important role of music in the everyday life of Peruvian villagers through performances that are deeply rooted in religious and secular festivals, marriage ceremonies, Carnival, funeral rites, and the fundamental role of agriculture.

Traditional Music of Peru 4: Lambayeque

First, he alludes to Monk's musicality, which combined a brilliant sense of time with textured, dissonant harmonics that made him one of the most demanding and exciting leaders in jazz.