dissonance Hear it!

dissonance definition

dis·so·nance (dis′ə nəns)

noun

  1. an inharmonious sound or combination of sounds; discord
  2. any lack of harmony or agreement; incongruity
  3. Music a chord that sounds incomplete or unfulfilled until resolved to a harmonious chord

Etymology: ME dissonaunce < LL dissonantia < L dissonans, prp. of dissonare, to be discordant < dis-, apart + sonus, a sound

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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