Lacking harmony; harsh and jarring in sound; conflicting or inconsistent. Can describe both musical discord and figurative lack of agreement between ideas or elements.
From Latin 'dissonare,' from 'dis-' (apart) and 'sonare' (to sound). The word literally means 'sounding apart' or sounds that don't blend harmoniously together, later extended to any kind of conflict or inconsistency.
Remember 'dis-sonant'—the sounds are 'dissing' each other instead of working together! Like musicians playing different songs at the same time, dissonant elements clash rather than harmonize.
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