Dissonant refers to a lack of agreement, disharmony, or incongruity, stemming from the Latin word 'sonare' meaning 'to sound'.
Dissonant describes something that lacks agreement, is discordant, incongruous, or harmonically unresolved. The word's root, 'sonare,' relates to sound.
| Word | dissonant |
|---|---|
| Date | September 16, 2007 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | DISS-uh-nunt |
| Etymology | 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. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
| Examples | "The beautiful tuna had been cooked to dry dullness, and the bitter baby bok choy was alarmingly dissonant with the sauce." (Patricia Greathouse, Santa Fe New Mexican, August 4, 2006) |
| Definition | 1 : marked by lack of agreement : discordant 2 : incongruous 3 : harmonically unresolved |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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