Meaning & use
dissonance
Last updated
A lack of harmony or agreement, especially a harsh, jarring combination of sounds or ideas.
See it in a sentence
The composer used dissonance deliberately to create tension in the piece.
There was a clear dissonance between what the company said and what it actually did.
A note on using this word
Frequently paired with "cognitive," as in "cognitive dissonance," to describe the discomfort of holding contradictory beliefs.
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