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The root of "dissonant" is the Latin verb sonare. Can you guess what "sonare" means? Here's a hint: some related derivatives are "sonata," "supersonic," and "resonance." Does it sound to you as if "sonare" has something to do with sound? If so, you're right. In fact, sonare means "to sound, is related to the Latin noun sonus (meaning "sound"), and is an ancestor of the English word sound. "Dissonant" includes the negative prefix dis-. What is "dissonant," therefore, sounds inharmonic, conflicting, or clashing.
Synonyms
Examples of dissonant in a Sentence
a dissonant chorus of noises arose from the busy construction site
Recent Examples on the Web
The dissonant hoover synths seethe like Bernard Herrmann strings — echoing the lyrics’ references to Hitchcock’s Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window.
—
Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
It was improvised and dissonant and the type of weird that gave everyone goosebumps.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024
Marketers need to follow different playbooks for independent, dissonant, and resonant products, tailoring their approaches to green, blue, and gray customers with each.
—Frédéric Dalsace
goutam Challagalla, Harvard Business Review, 17 Apr. 2024
Under creator Christopher Storer’s frenetic, dissonant direction, Season 1 captured the grinding stress of an everyday kitchen on the constant verge of chaos.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dissonant 
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Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
It was improvised and dissonant and the type of weird that gave everyone goosebumps.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024
Marketers need to follow different playbooks for independent, dissonant, and resonant products, tailoring their approaches to green, blue, and gray customers with each.
—Frédéric Dalsace
goutam Challagalla, Harvard Business Review, 17 Apr. 2024
Under creator Christopher Storer’s frenetic, dissonant direction, Season 1 captured the grinding stress of an everyday kitchen on the constant verge of chaos.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dissonant
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Dictionary Entries Near dissonant
Cite this Entry
“Dissonant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissonant. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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