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.

Last year ended with the dissonance of lifting the Europa League trophy and finishing in 17th place at home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

When “Frankenstein” was first published without Shelley’s name, and chatter about its author began to spread, an early commentary in the British Critic scorned the dissonance between Shelley’s womanhood and the novel’s monstrous narrative.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

“Here Lies Love” seemed to want its audience to leave with an aftertaste of cognitive dissonance.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

The tension between the two synthetics provides a delicious dissonance, making for a “Predator” film that leans hard into camp territory, with Fanning eating up every frame.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

Of course, if there are problems with tuning, the notes will not sound good together, but this is not what consonance and dissonance are about.

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