dissonance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The collective cognitive dissonance on display in San Francisco during Super Bowl LX exposed how warped many American’s perceptions of our greatest cities are.

From Salon • Feb. 10, 2026

In the throes of cognitive dissonance, I ignored the vow and fell in love with Renée.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

But as an owner, he’s prepared to tolerate a little cognitive dissonance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

Given the narrative and thematic overlap between “Goodbye June” and “The Chronology of Water,” this dissonance is even more curious.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

Or they may simply feel "unstable"; if you hear a chord with a dissonance in it, you may feel that the music is pulling you towards the chord that resolves the dissonance.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones