Dissonance
/ˈdɪsənəns/
nounC1
Definition
Dissonance is when sounds or ideas do not match or feel uncomfortable together. In music, it means notes that sound harsh or not smooth when played together. In other areas, it can mean a feeling of disagreement or confusion when two ideas or beliefs clash.
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See It in Action
Musical meaning: unpleasant or clashing sounds
- •The dissonance between the two notes made the music feel tense.
- •Composers sometimes use dissonance to create feelings of unease.
- •The dissonance in the song resolved into a beautiful harmony.
Psychological or intellectual meaning: conflict or disagreement between ideas or beliefs
- •Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two conflicting thoughts.
- •There was dissonance between what he said and what he did.
- •The team felt dissonance because members disagreed on the project goals.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "dissonance" like "noise," but it is more about things not fitting well together, not just any sound
- ✓Picture two people talking at the same time loudly and confusingly, making it hard to understand either one
- ✓It's the feeling when your thoughts or beliefs do not agree, causing discomfort or confusion inside
- ✓Sounds like "DIS-son-ance" → imagine something "disconnected" or "not in tune," like a broken radio signal
- ✓Imagine a story where two characters have very different opinions and feel tension because they cannot agree
- ✓NOT like "harmony" (sounds or ideas that fit well and are pleasant), dissonance is the opposite, unpleasant or conflicting
- ✓NOT like "noise" (any sound), dissonance is specifically about unpleasant or clashing sounds or ideas
Try Other Words
- •Discord: disagreement or lack of harmony (Use when talking about social or musical disagreement)
- •Clash: strong disagreement or conflict (Use when emphasizing strong opposing ideas or forces)
- •Disagreement: difference in opinion (Use in everyday situations with less intensity)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "dis-" (a prefix meaning "not" or "apart") + "sonance" (from Latin "sonare," meaning "to sound")
- •Etymology: From Latin "dissonantia," meaning "discord or lack of harmony in sound"
- •Historical development: First used in English in the late 1500s to describe unpleasant sounds in music; later expanded to mean mental or emotional conflict
- •Modern usage: Used in music, psychology, and everyday speech to describe unpleasant or conflicting sounds, ideas, or feelings
Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when you felt dissonance between what you believe and what you did? How did it feel?
•How might understanding dissonance help us solve problems when people disagree or when things do not fit well together?
Fill in the blanks
1.The dissonance in the music made the audience feel ___ because the notes did not ___ well together.
2.Cognitive dissonance happens when a person has ___ thoughts that ___ with each other.
3.Unlike harmony, dissonance creates a feeling of ___ or ___ in sound or ideas.
4.The speaker's words caused dissonance because they ___ with his previous actions.
5.Musicians sometimes add dissonance ___ to create tension before resolving it into harmony.
6.When there is dissonance in a group, it usually means members ___ on important issues.
7.The sudden dissonance between the two singers' voices was ___ and caught everyone's attention.