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dissonance

[ dis-uh-nuh ns ]

/ ˈdɪs ə nəns /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dissonance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

inharmonious or harsh sound; discord; cacophony.

Music.

a simultaneous combination of tones conventionally accepted as being in a state of unrest and needing completion.
an unresolved, discordant chord or interval.Compare consonance(def 3).

disagreement or incongruity.

Origin of dissonance

1565–75; < Late Latin dissonantia, equivalent to disson- (see dissonant) + -antia -ance

Words nearby dissonance

dissolute, dissolution, dissolve, dissolvent, dissolving view, dissonance, dissonancy, dissonant, disspirit, disspread, dissuade

Example sentences from the Web for dissonance

These subversive narratives were not the solution I sought to the dissonance between my expected and actual college experience.

Freshman Year Sucks—and That’s OK |Eleanor Hyun |November 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The darkness and dissonance of these tightly constructed tales reflect something of the political turbulence of Soviet Russia.

This Week’s Hot Reads: April 22, 2013 |Mythili Rao |April 22, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
There was no camp, kitsch, or dissonance to his pure love of Michael Jackson.

The Men in the Mirror |Richard Abowitz |October 14, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
Miss Fanny did sound her A, and again a dissonance broke forth that would have thrown Orpheus into fits.

Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland |Various

Dissonance, in music, that effect which, results from the union of two sounds not in accord with each other.

The New Gresham Encyclopedia |Various
Nevertheless, the fourth was still considered a dissonance, and was permitted only between the upper parts of the music.

Critical & Historical Essays |Edward MacDowell
Clash of character being the starting point of drama we have it amplified in the international by both sympathy and dissonance.

Polly the Pagan |Isabel Anderson
But the house stood isolated, and outside the laurelled forests and porous cliffs soaked up the dissonance as a blotter soaks ink.

The Roof Tree |Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for dissonance

dissonance

dissonancy

/ (ˈdɪsənəns) /

noun

a discordant combination of sounds

lack of agreement or consistency

music

a sensation commonly associated with all intervals of the second and seventh, all diminished and augmented intervals, and all chords based on these intervalsCompare consonance (def. 3)
an interval or chord of this kind